Before There Was A god
by Awen Sofer
Summary: The story begins with a look into the future with the prologue. After that the story really begins ten years earlier when Adila first meets the handsome and charming Teru Mikami in college - before there was a god called Kira. Appearances by some of the major Death Note characters scattered throughout the story. OC/AU
1. Prologue

Prologue

My boyfriend is in love with another man. No. Not a man. A god. He thinks this _man_ is a god anyway. Kira, the man responsible for murdering, hundreds possibly thousands of criminals at this point, is his chosen god and object of his desire. Teru is his most devout disciple and worships him relentlessly with a stalwart heart. He once loved me that way.

I sigh deeply, resisting the temptation the throw the remote into the television as he watches that horrid program Kira's Kingdom. Standing to my feet, I move to go to bed. I can't take it anymore. That fat idiot Demegawa screaming about his wonderful savior Kira has given me a headache and made me feel sick. There is no way that moron is an official spokesperson for Kira. Even though I don't care for Kira, I know that he would not allow such a ridiculous jerk to be his mouthpiece to the world. It is obvious that Kira is way too conceited and self-important for such an embarrassing figure to represent him. I wonder why the magnificent and perfect Kira does not kill him already. I wish he would.

"Where are you going?" Teru asks, grabbing my hand though he does not look away from that damn television.

"I'm going to bed. I have a headache," I respond, still in shock that he even noticed me.

"Sit down. There's something I want to show you," he says, opening his briefcase sitting beside him.

I sigh deeply, plopping back down on the couch beside him. I can't believe he wants to talk about work. He has always been a workaholic. This addiction is getting even worse since his obsession with Kira has grown. My eyes follow his hands to the briefcase, watching curiously as he pulls out a notebook. Death Note, plain silver letters on the front of the black leather book inform me. I have no idea what that means.

"What is that?" I inquire as he opens it. It is just a plain notebook. What's the big deal?

"Watch," he cryptically tells me.

Demegawa is on the screen introducing his ludicrously dressed cohorts on stage; they are all dressed like priests in this disturbing large scale Kira love fest purporting the senseless idea that he is a god. I hear the scratch of pen on paper after the first man is introduced. Shortly into Demegawa's monologue listing the man's attributes, he grabs his chest and falls over. It is safe to assume he is dead by the expression of horror on Demegawa's face.

"Teru, what –"

"Shhhh! Keeping watching."

I tentatively edge away from him on the couch. What is going on? I'm confused and I'm scared. These men continue to drop dead in less than a minute after Teru writes their names in that notebook. The last to go is Demegawa. Though I am terrified of my longtime boyfriend at this point, I can honestly say I am not sad to see the host of the odious Kira's Kingdom drop to the floor and gasp for his dying breath on the television screen.

"What did you do?" I question him, pressing myself against the end of the couch.

His deep brown eyes study my face. He looks slightly maniacal to me; his handsome features are warped into a mask of almost orgasmic cruel delight. He grabs me, his fingers digging painfully into the flesh of my upper arms.

"I did that. I killed them," he tells me, crushing his lips against mine. He is excited – _very _excited. "Kira chose _me_. Me, Adila, do you hear me?"

'Oh, yes, I hear you. Loud and clear and terrifies me,' I think to myself looking into his eyes that are wide and wild with emotion.

"I don't understand. What does this mean?"

"He has given me his power. I can now kill the same way he does. He purposely chose me to aid him on his quest for justice," Teru explains, kissing me again.

His hands go to the buttons on my blouse and I resist the impulse to push him away. He is so overcome with elation and arousal I am afraid if I refuse him he will hurt me. Besides, it's been months since he has made love to me due to his infatuation with Kira.

"Adila, aren't you happy? I will be a god just like him. I will finally get what I've wanted all these years. I can now be an emissary of true justice, giving all of those good-for-nothing, felonious bastards what they deserve when the law lets me down."

Teru presses his lips to mine much gentler this time. His hands cover my breasts and his tongue enters my mouth as he fondles them. I cannot help but feel carnal eagerness rushing through my body making me want him despite the terror that plagues my mind from what just occurred before my eyes.

"Sweetheart, do you understand what this means for us?" he asks, pulling off my shirt and removing my bra.

I take off his glasses and lay them on the coffee table. No, I don't understand what it means. I hope he continues to explain without me having to ask. I proceed to loosen his tie and take it off while he caresses my breasts. He is looking at me with a soft, tender expression that I have not seen on his face in a long time.

"I will become like him. I won't just determine what is right and fair, I will _be _justice," he tells me, sliding his hands under my skirt.

My heart is aching because I feel like I have lost him. Kira has stolen him from me, consuming his heart and soul. Teru will never be mine again.

"I love you," I tell him, tears streaming down my face.

"I know," he whispers in my ear.

He does not say it back. He might as well write my name in that notebook and kill me. I feel dead inside already.

I want him back. I want the man I met ten years ago while attending university. My fingers glide through his soft black hair to rest on his shoulders that are now bare. My eyes go to his which are tightly closed. I close mine as well when he glides into my yearning body. I contemplate who he is really making love to. Is it me or is it the god who dominates his mind and emotions? Teru is not gay but with this uncontrollable obsession I cannot help but question him.

"Adila," he whispers, kissing me passionately.

It's me! Perhaps there is a tiny bit of hope that I am not miserably defeated after all. Damn you, Kira. I will get him back. I will bring him back from the brink of insanity before I allow you to kill him.


	2. First Day, First Meeting

The first chapter was written in first person to give Adila's perspective of Teru and his obsession. The rest of the story will be in the past and be told in third person with an omniscient point of view.

* * *

First Day, First Meeting

_Ten years earlier, first day of fall semester at the University of To'Oh  
_

Adila arrived for her first class early. The class was sure to be interesting because it was abnormal psychology. She had embarked upon a dual major of psychology and criminology much to the distress of her mother. Her mother was afraid that she would go insane herself taking on such an overwhelming academic load and trying to figure out the twisted psyche of criminals. Her overall goal was to become a criminal psychologist and eventually a criminal profiler with the FBI or CIA. She had high aspirations and many goals set for herself.

Adila set her book, a notebook, a pencil, and pen on the table in front of her. Movement to her right caught her eye, and she saw a nice looking guy about her age doing the same. She glanced at him and smiled, but he did not return the smile. She looked away without speaking since he seemed to want to be left alone. Her mind formed an image of him in her head from what she had seen: black, somewhat shaggy, shoulder length hair, dark eyes of an undetermined color, and rectangular glasses with black frames. He was good looking but not very friendly. She did not care for that at all. Cold attitudes and hard looks did not attract her. She had never been enticed by the strong, silent type. That brand of sexiness could be better translated as unfeeling and self-centered. What's so sexy about that?

"Is today your first day?" he inquired, taking her by surprise.

Adila took a deep breath to calm her rapidly beating her. Her weak point was voices, and she liked his. It was a smooth and rich, not too deep but definitely male. She turned her head to look at him, keeping the smile that wanted to blossom off of her lips. Her eyes met his which were a dark, sumptuous reddish brown like cherrywood. The smile would not be denied any longer and his lips turned upwards in response to hers this time. He had such nice lips that appeared to be good for kissing.

"Yes, it is. Is it your first day too?" she asked, feeling her stomach doing somersaults as he continued to look at her.

"No. I'm actually in my second year. I'm studying to be a lawyer. I want to be a prosecutor to put criminals where they belong. I'm only taking this course to gain insight into why they sometimes commit the horrible crimes they do. Not that I really care though. There are only two kinds of people in this world. There are good and bad. I want to lock up the bad ones so that they cannot hurt the good ones," he said, his gaze never wavering from her face.

Now that Adila had his attention, it was unshakable. 'Wow! He's a real talker once he gets going,' she thought to herself. She could tell he was going to be a great lawyer someday. He knew how to piece together an argument quite convincingly.

"But don't you think good people can do bad things sometimes but still be inherently good?" she questioned, watching his brow furrow deeply with an emotion that appeared to be outrage. That was an awfully strong reaction to a simple question.

"What do you mean? How could that be possible?" he asked, leaning toward her.

Adila automatically leaned backwards to distance herself from the intimidating action. "For example, if a man robs a bank to get money to feed his starving children and pay his rent so his family won't freeze on the streets, is he really bad? Or did he just make a mistake in his desperation to take care of his family?"

"He should have gotten a job to take care of his family and he would not have been in that situation," he replied icily, his eyebrows drawing together.

"What if he was laid off from his job of twenty years? Times are tough, jobs are scarce, and he's too old to learn new job skills. What then?" she asked, determined to get him to see all possibilities. "There's sometimes extenuating circumstances. Not everything is always so black and white."

"Yes, it is," he remarked stubbornly, slamming his fist down on the table. "What if that robber shoots the bank manager in his fear, leaving behind a wife and child? What then?"

Oh, yes, he was going to be brilliant. "Then everyone is a loser. The robber's children will be homeless and will eventually starve or go to an orphanage. The manager's wife will have to suffer without a husband and the child will never know his father. However, they will be okay financially because of the life insurance policies."

Impressive. Teru blinked at the pretty woman with light brown hair and cat like emerald green eyes. Her eyes along with her caramel skin color made it obvious she was not from here. If her ability to make a good argument had not caught his attention those eyes certainly would have. He smiled at her again, putting out his hand to her.

"My name is Teru Mikami," he said, squeezing her small soft hand when she placed it in his.

"My name is Adila Sharvani. I'm an exchange student. I'm from America but only my father is an American. My mother is Indian," she explained.

The extra information was unnecessary but fascinating. It also explained her alluring and unique appearance. He was about to pose another scenario to her when the professor and several other students walked in.

"Would you like to have coffee or tea later to continue our discussion?" he asked, letting her hand go. He felt a rush of heat to his cheeks because he had not realized he was still holding her hand. The slight blush across her lovely golden cheeks showed that she had not been aware of it until this moment either.

"I would love to," she replied, smiling until her soft pink lips parted showing perfect white teeth.

'Yes, quite lovely indeed,' he thought to himself.

The professor stepped up to the podium in front of the class with stadium type seating to begin his lecture.

Teru's mind was too busy compiling scenarios to pose to her during their discussion later to worry about what the professor was saying. He slipped in stealthy glimpses of her while she gave the instructor her full attention and began taking notes. His mind raced with all sorts possibilities as to what kind of person the woman beside him could be. He judged her to be a good person with a kind heart and sincere interest in people. She had proven that in the small interaction they had earlier. He looked forward to getting to know her more.

Adila distracted herself by concentrating on the instructor and taking notes. She could see the man beside her sliding her sidelong glances of open curiosity. She found it difficult not to smile but rejected the compulsion to grin like an idiot. He would be a good friend but nothing more. He was too narrow minded in his thinking and viewed people in a singular manner without taking in all considerations. She did not like that about him. Yet there was something intriguing about his sense of fairness. He would make a fantastic prosecutor with such a constricted attitude because he would go after the criminal at all costs.

The professor began speaking about obsessive compulsive disorder which engaged her attention fully causing her to forget about the handsome man beside her.

...

* * *

Adila could not help but stare as her black haired companion lined up three little creamer cups on one side of his coffee mug and laid out three packages of sugar on the other side. When everything was arranged in a perfectly straight line, she watched with unbridled fascination as he began from the outside of the row to add the cream and sugar to his coffee. Obsessive – Compulsive Disorder was being enacted in front of her very eyes. She was glad she had paid particular attention to that part of the lecture. Sipping her coffee, she continued to observe the anal man as he painstakingly set about fixing his beverage just right.

"If someone purposely kills criminals who have committed violent crimes such as murder and rape, is that person good or bad?" she asked, feeling antsy after watching his preparations. She could not wait any longer to begin the conversation.

"Good. He's ridding society of trash that does not deserve to live anyway," he responded without even taking time to think.

"But he's still a murderer? How can you call him good?" she prodded, sighing when he stirred his coffee methodically. He paused this time but she believed it was because he was counting his rotations around the cup with the spoon and not considering her questions.

"Well, the criminals could be thought of as computer virus. They would be considered something that is intrinsically harmful to the whole operating system even after being quarantined. They must be deleted for the good of the overall system and all of its components. When they are deleted and destroyed, is the virus program considered something bad?" he asked pointedly, sipping his coffee.

'Finally. He made to actually drink the coffee,' she thought to herself, sighing loudly with relief. She thought for a second about his reply before making one of her own.

"No, of course the virus program isn't bad because it's protecting the computer and other programs from harm. But I'm talking about people, not a computer," she persisted, leaning toward him.

Momentarily distracted by the cleavage revealed to him by her low cut blouse, Teru shook his head. Taking another sip of coffee, he brought his eyes to hers which glittered with passion for making her point. She should be a lawyer and not a criminal psychologist. "What's the difference?"

"Are you serious? But people – " Why were people so much more important? Some people were a bane to society and a danger to the existence of others. Why did they deserve to be treated like human beings after they had done some very inhumane things to their fellow man? Wouldn't it only be right for a murderer to get what he deserves by losing his life too? His victim did not have a choice – why should he?

Adila sat back, struggling for a response. Some criminals seemed incapable of rehabilitation or change and would always be a threat to society and themselves. Why spare them? Because it is impossible tell the difference between the good and the bad. She did not realize that she had spoken these words out loud until she _felt_ him staring at her with his maroon brown eyes. His eyes were so intense she was sure he was going to release a laser beam to bore a hole through her head and zap her brain to change her way of thinking to come into line with his.

"I can tell the difference," he stated emphatically. The resolve behind his voice warned her not to argue. "Have you ever heard the phrase 'actions speak louder than words'?"

"Yes, but what does that have to –"

"It has everything to do with what I'm talking about. There is good and bad contained within all of us. What you chose to let out by your actions determines what kind of person you truly are," he said, pausing to finish off his coffee. "Would you like some more? We have much more to discuss."

Adila looked down at her empty coffee cup and handed it to him. She was mute by his emphatic and emotional response. Her mind raced with a million thoughts. This man frightened her yet captivated her as well. She felt mesmerized and repelled all at once. A startled yelp tore from her lips when he touched her shoulder while he sat the cup down in front of her.

"I didn't mean to scare you. You looked so lost in thought. What other classes are you taking?" Teru asked, sitting back down across from her.

Adila silently took out her printed schedule and handed it to him. She was grateful for a change of subject. Struggling to find her voice again, she took a large gulp of the black, burning hot liquid not noticing that it seared her tongue.

"We have a few more classes together I see. We've got a domestic law class together in the morning then a criminal law class after that. Would you like to study together?" he queried, catching her attention.

"Sure. That would be great," she agreed, taking one of the creams from the bowl in the center of the table. She halted her movements as he started the odd ritual all over again.

Maybe it will be a good idea to study together. '_Mental note to self: always fix tea and never coffee when Teru is over or risk losing my mind.'  
_

_~\..'../~_

* * *

There was a knock on her apartment door at exactly seven. Adila set the water kettle on the stove and went to answer it. She smiled when she saw him standing there looking very handsome and pulled together in a black sweater and black pants. Did he own a pair of jeans? He always wore slacks and button down white shirts to class. On casual days, he left behind the tie but not the jacket. He favored wearing a black trench coat on rainy or cold days as well. He was awfully young to dress like that. She was wearing a pair of jeans and an ugly, oversized sweatshirt that had belonged to her father when he attended university at a prestigious American institution.

"Come on in," she said, ushering him into her clean but cramped apartment.

Adila would swear she saw him blanch at the clutter. Ignoring what she thought she saw, she led him to the living room where her books and other study items were scattered across the coffee table. She gathered everything up placing them in a neat stack after receiving a glance of disapproval from her study mate.

"Dick," she muttered through clenched teeth.

"What?" he inquired, putting his hand to his ear like an old geezer who is hard of hearing.

"I didn't say anything," she lied with a pretty smile. "Would you like some tea?"

"Do you have cream and sugar?"

Damn.

Adila went to the kitchen speaking curses in Hindi that her mother had taught her. She reached into the far corner of the cabinet to retrieve the small cream pitcher shaped like a cow that her mother had given her. Her lips curled into a smile remembering when she had opened it at her high school graduation party. The whole family had gotten a good laugh from the object for many reasons one of which included that fact that cows are considered sacred in India yet an Indian woman had given her this comical cream pitcher as a present. Her mother seemed to relish the ability to fly in the face of tradition every chance that was afforded to her. The first stab in the eye to her family had been when she married a Caucasian American man instead of a proper Indian husband. Adila's patriarchal grandparents always told her she got her fiery, aggressive personality from her mother, and they were correct. She did not know her Indian family because they had disowned her mother when they received the news of her engagement to the American. They regretted allowing their daughter to go to the United States to study. Here her daughter was in Japan studying psychology and law. She did not want her parents to regret anything. Her parents did not understand her decision but had let her go anyway. She had fallen in love with the tradition and culture only to be disappointed when she arrived to see that not much of the 'old ways' remained. But she was here and she would have to make the best of it. Relocating from one country to another was not easy or cheap and her first year of studies had already been paid for in full along with her first year's rent for this dinky little apartment. When her year was up, she would consider her options then decide to stay in Japan or go home to Texas.

"Are you all right in there? Do you need any help?" Teru inquired, walking into the miniscule kitchen that was barely big enough for the both of them.

"I'm sorry. I was just thinking," she replied, reaching for the gorgeous jade colored cups and saucers with a gold line around the edges. They were first things she had bought in Japan. She had bought two, hoping she would have a use for the second one.

"You sure do think a lot for a woman," he said with amazing chauvinism.

"Wow. That was not sexist at all, Mr. Mikami," she snapped, pouring the hot water into the delicate cups. Well, some things were still very traditional. He was straight from the feudal era.

Teru smiled. He liked her spirited charm. She was different than other women their age. She was not giggly and stupid, choosing to get by solely on her looks. He had never liked foreigners and saw them as a disease and a threat to his country until he met her.

"You're enthralling. I think I like you," he said, watching her back go ramrod straight. Did he say something wrong?

"Does that mean I should get down on my knees and kiss your – "

"No, it does not," he interjected before she finished the question spoken with frank contempt. He moved back to the living room when she picked up the tray to carry it to their study area. "I like the cream pitcher. It's cute."

Adila smiled as she watched the stream of white cream pour from the cow's mouth as if it were vomiting in his cup. She knew it was a terrible thought but she could not help herself after his superior attitude and words spoken in conceit in the kitchen. Was she supposed to thank him for his shining endorsement? Should she cry tears of joy because he _might_ like her? She knew there was something about him she did not like when she first laid eyes on him. However, she decided she needed at least one friend, and it seemed like for the moment that friend was him.


	3. Study Buddies and Affectionate Friends

Study Buddies and Affectionate Friends

Finals. What a nightmare. Adila was finishing her first semester at the university, and she wanted to make really good grades to send to her parents. She wanted to show them that they had not wasted their money or their trust by allowing her to study in Japan which had been a major financial undertaking for them. Her parents were not filthy stinking rich but money had never been a problem in her household. Her father was an assistant coach with the sports program at his alma mater and her mother was a prominent pediatrician. She did not want to waste their money or her time either. Being driven overachievers was a hallmark of her family, and she did not intend to break that tradition.

"Adila, sit down," Teru ordered her gently as she paced the room while reading the notes in her hand.

"I'm okay. It helps me think," she replied, tugging absentmindedly on a lock of her long honey brown hair.

"Does pulling your hair out help you think as well?" he inquired, watching her pull the hair harder at his question.

"No. That's your fault because you're irritating me," she shot back sarcastically, hiding her smile behind her notebook.

Teru smiled as well. He had grown accustomed to her distinct variety of cattiness and actually liked it. They had become close friends over the last few months but nothing more. Their time together was spent studying or engaging in sometimes heated philosophical debates mostly dealing with people trapped in moral dilemmas involving criminal activities of varying kinds.

"Do you want some tea? I need some," Adila said, going to the kitchen.

"Are you all right?" he asked, following her to the kitchen that was so small he would have to leave if he wanted to change his mind. He stepped up behind her when he saw her standing over the tea kettle on the stove as if willing it to boil.

Adila jumped when his fingers dug into the taut, stressed muscles across her shoulders. Being touched actually hurt because the muscles were so tight.

"You're so tense. Does it hurt?" he inquired, when he heard her gasp.

"Yes," she answered, biting her lip against the pain.

"Here. Hold that," he instructed her, gathering her hair into a ponytail and waiting for her grab it.

"Oh, Teru," she moaned as he worked his fingers into the sore, strained muscles of her neck.

Teru almost took his hands off of her as the blood suddenly rushed to lower regions in his body. He had been attracted to her before but had always been able to ignore it. The way she had said his name was not so easy to dismiss. He stepped closer to her, moving his hands down to her shoulders.

Adila closed her eyes and sighed as the muscles began to unwind. His massage to loosen the stiffness was also helping that constant annoying ache in her temples to dissipate as well. She felt his thumbs slide up the back of her neck, pressing gently before moving back down to push into the thick muscles at the base of her neck.

"Oh, yes, that feels good," she gasped, pulling her hair over her shoulder to release it. She had to brace her hands on the counter to remain in a standing position. He was making her weak all over from the marvelous kneading to relax her neck and shoulders.

DAMN! What he would not give to hear her gasp that way while naked and underneath him. Teru almost slapped himself for the thought then opted to shake his head to rid himself of it.

"Does that feel better?" he asked, reluctantly removing his hands from her body.

"Yes, much better. You even helped me get rid of my headache. Thank you," she said with sincere gratitude.

"I'll be in the living room," he told her, backing out of the kitchen.

"I'll be in there soon with the tea," she informed him, opening the cabinet for the cups.

Adila allowed her mind to wander as she readied the tray. His hands were absolutely miraculous. If they felt that good on her neck how would they feel elsewhere? A lecherous little grin tilted her lips as her mind dove right off into the gutter. When her body began to feel a bit prickly from a specific kind of heat that came from arousal, she pushed the thoughts from her mind. Splashing cold water on her face from the tap, she dried it off with a dish towel while willing her body to calm down. It was her own fault. She should not have been thinking like that. She had not had a boyfriend since her senior year of high school by her own choice. There were goals to be met and dreams to be fulfilled. She did not have time to be sidetracked by carnal desires. All of that could happen later at a more convenient time.

Adila returned to the living room so they could continue with their marathon study session until way past midnight in preparation for finals. It was a Saturday night and everyone else was out partying somewhere. The two of them, relentless nerds that they are, were sleepy and exhausted from studying for over six hours.

Adila was pacing the room again to keep herself awake while reading notes out loud. When she paused to ask a question, she finally noticed that Teru had fallen asleep. When did that happen? Putting her book down, she went to him, slowly lowering his head onto one of the fluffy throw pillows on the couch. She covered him up with the pink blanket from the back of her couch. Men always look so cute in pink, especially him with his dark hair and light colored skin. She bent to take his glasses off, her eyes settling on his dark pink lips that were pursed thoughtfully in sleep. Did this man ever relax? Tracing them with her finger, she was pleased to see them loosen into a soft smile.

"Good night, Sweet Prince," she whispered, kissing his forehead.

Adila went to her bedroom, closing the door but not locking it. They had been friends long enough that she knew she had nothing to fear from him. Taking off her jeans but not her t-shirt, she settled into the bed to get some sleep.

...

* * *

Teru awoke with a start wondering where he was at first in the groggy, sleep induced confusion that muddled his mind. Reaching to the coffee table in hopes his glasses would be there, his fingers landed right on them and pulled them to his face.

"Her apartment? Damn!" he exclaimed in a hiss, sitting up. "When did I fall asleep?"

Cursing himself for the lack of control by doing such a silly thing as falling asleep, he stumbled toward her bathroom. After splashing cold water on his face to wake himself fully, he stopped at her bedroom door to softly knock. The door opened slightly, and he tentatively pushed it open.

"Adila, I –" His words were stolen from him by the shocking yet pleasing sight of her behind in nothing but a tiny pair of panties displayed before him. He could see that her t-shirt had ridden up and was twisted around her waist. She had thrown her leg above the cover which left her backside totally exposed. She must be a very active sleeper.

Teru mentally chided himself for being a pervert and carefully closed the door. He decided to just write a note and leave quietly so he would not wake her. He had just finished writing the note when she came into the living room in her t-shirt and panties, rubbing her eyes like a small child. Taking advantage of her half-asleep state, his eyes roamed over her body approvingly, locking onto her face when her eyes focused on him.

"Are you leaving?" she queried, sounding a bit whiney.

"I didn't mean to wake you. I was just going to leave and let you sleep," he explained, dropping the note on the table.

"You can stay. I don't mind. You can even lie down in the bed with me if you promise to behave yourself," she told him, turning to leave the room.

Adila fixed the sheet and blanket before lying back down. She had always been a rough sleeper, tossing and turning quite frequently. Settling back into her spot that was still warm, she did not care if he came in here or not. Drowsiness was descending over her like one of her soft blankets, when she felt him slide into the bed next to her. A smile lifted the corners of her mouth when she felt him firmly tucking the sheet and blanket under her to create a barrier between them. He was so incredibly odd but she liked him anyway.

"Good night, dear," she giggled.

"Good night, honey," he responded with a chuckle.

They both got comfortable and went right to sleep. From now on they would have to call a halt to their study sessions at a more decent time.

...

* * *

Adila woke up trapped. At some point, Teru had broken through the cloth barrier he had installed and wrapped his arms and legs around her. Giggling softly she attempted to move but he had a strong hold on her. Turning over within the confines of her human prison, she came face to face with him. She had forgotten how handsome he really is. With his face completely stress-free in sleep, he was almost girly pretty. Soft wisps of his hair curled around his face to create a gorgeous black frame to showcase his good looks. Without thinking, she moved closer to brush her lips against his. They were so soft and velvety she went back to touch them again with hers. Carefully placing her lips against his, she laid there completely still. She gasped when his arms tightened around her at the very moment he puckered and moved his lips against hers. Well, that's what she gets for being curious. Now she was locked in a tight embrace and a breath stealing kiss from a man who was completely asleep and dreaming erotic dreams apparently. She tried to break the kiss when his hand moved to her breast, fondling it tenderly.

"Oh, Adila," he murmured against her lips.

Oh, damn. At least he was dreaming about her and not another woman. She wriggled to see if she could loosen his grip. When Teru relaxed his grip on her and turned halfway onto his back, she shimmied down his body to free herself. It was working great until he rolled back toward her bringing her face to crotch with an impressive morning hard on.

"Oh, dear," she squeaked, trundling off the bed to retreat to the bathroom before he woke up.

Adila turned on the shower to take a swift chilling dip to cool herself. Couldn't she have found an ugly guy to be friends with? She was just stepping out of the shower when she heard a low knock at the door.

"Can I come in? It's really an emergency," he said, his voice sounding strained and tight.

"Hang on." She grabbed her robe and threw it on over her towel. Opening the door, she slipped past him hurriedly when he moved back. "It's all yours."

"Thank you," he returned gratefully, slamming the door in his haste without meaning to.

Adila giggled with the slightest bit of unkind delight because she already knew his emergency. She dried off hastily so she could be dressed by the time he came out. Her t-shirt had just met her waist when he came back into her room.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized, his face turning pink.

"It's all right. I'm dressed," she assured him, turning around in her short shorts and skin tight t-shirt.

"Are you sure?" he asked, raising a black eyebrow skeptically. "The t-shirt you wore to bed last night covered more than that."

"I'm just going to be inside all day studying. Besides, I'd freeze if I went outside. It's not exactly weather appropriate," she pointed out, looking at the snow falling outside of her window.

'That's not appropriate for much of anything,' he thought to himself.

"No, you're not staying inside all day long," he informed her, rushing on before she could come back with a snotty retort. "I'm taking you out to breakfast."

...

* * *

Adila stared at the platter full of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and pancakes. Reaching up to her chin self-consciously, she checked for drool. This was incredible.

"How did you find a place that serves American food?" she asked, grabbing her fork and getting ready to dive in.

"There are not many eateries that serve American food, but there's a few. I have eaten here a few times. I wanted to be sure the food was really good before bringing you," he said, watching her apprehensively as she attacked the scrambled eggs. "Are you sure you can eat all of that?"

"Oh, yes! Without a doubt," she answered around the mouthful of hash browns.

"Wow. That's uh…astounding," he muttered, wincing as she stabbed the helpless sausage link and shoved it into her treacherous maw. He had seen her eat before but never with the vigor and passion she was using at this moment. It was terrifying.

Adila ignored him and continued stuffing her face while relishing the wonderful food. She had not tasted anything like this in six months since coming to Japan. Tasting the food made her realize she missed home – and her family. Raising her eyes to his, she finished chewing the food in her mouth and swallowed.

"Thank you," she said, taking a delicate sip of her coffee.

"For what?" he asked, staring at the sad wreckage on her plate that was once a picture perfect platter of food.

"Bringing me here. This reminds me of home. Thank you," she repeated, cutting into the pancakes topped with whipped cream and strawberries.

"You deserve a treat to help you relax. You've been studying really hard. You will do great on your exams next week," he assured her, giving her a rare smile.

Adila loved it when he smiled. It made him look so sweet and innocent. Usually he wore a solemn, emotionless face and appeared to be deep in thought. What in the world was a man so young always thinking about so seriously?

"How did you learn Japanese so well?" Teru inquired to change the subject.

Adila explained how her parents opted to host exchange students when she entered high school. They thought it would be good for her to experience different cultures and make new friends. It might help her decide what she wanted to do with her life. Well, they were right. Her senior year their student was a boy from Japan which caused a major uproar because they were supposed to receive a girl student. As luck would have it, all of the other students were placed and no one was able to trade or it would have upset the same sex dynamic of students in their households.

After much trepidation and pretty much having no choice other than to send the kid back home to Japan, her parents let him stay. Strict rules and measures for behavior were put into place but teenagers always find a way to make something happen when they want it badly enough. Stereotypes about race were quickly crushed with the knowledge they both gained that school year. She got a true international education not only in language but anatomy as well.

"You're a very interesting woman, Adila," Teru remarked, leaning back with hands behind his head.

"Yes, you've told me that before," she responded, finishing the last bites of food on her plate.

"Make good grades and I'll take you out again," he said with a smile.

"Are you bribing me?"

"Yes."

Adila could handle being bribed like this.

...

* * *

"Hey, lady, give me your purse!" the well-dressed little jerk demanded, grabbing the confused woman's purse as the subway doors opened. He even added a well-placed punch to knock her out so she would not follow him.

Adila knew that guy was trouble the whole subway ride home. She had been observing him warily when she caught him eyeing everyone in the car as if to determine who would be the easiest victim. She almost overlooked him at first because he was a clean cut kid in a school uniform. However, most teenagers don't show that much interest in the adults around them unless they are up to something.

"Teru! What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled after him when he took off after the kid. She watched the scene unfold before her eyes with a feeling of detachment because it was so shocking.

Teru snatched the boy by the collar of his jacket, pulling back forcefully.

The kid resembled a dog that had reached the end of his chain as his feet flew out from under him. He was slammed to the ground by his black haired captor with ruthless force.

"Teru! STOP!" Adila screamed when the man commenced to beating the boy senseless. She ran toward him, chancing getting hit with his pounding fists as she grabbed him by the arms. "Stop, please!"

Teru was like a rampaging, thoughtless beast as he continued to hammer the boy's bloody face. He could hear a voice calling from far away, calling him back to sanity. Recognizing Adila's voice he immediately stopped, panting and blinking at the battered boy he was hovering over.

"Teru, what the hell – "

"I'll explain later. Just get me out of here."

When they returned to her apartment, Teru disappeared to the bathroom to clean his bloody fists while she went to the kitchen to make tea. Adila felt ridiculous but did not know what the hell else to do. She would never have believed he was capable of such violence. Her hands trembled making the tea cups clink against the saucers as she put them down.

"Explain to me what happened," she demanded unsympathetically when she joined him in the living room with the tea.

Teru went on to explain how bullies plagued him when he was a young boy. He hated to see other kids picked on and beat up as well. He became a self-proclaimed advocate for the beaten and abused of his school. Eventually he was able to band the weak together to make a unified stand against the bullies torturing him and his fellow students. After that it became his personal goal to always fight for the weak when they could not fight for themselves. Brutality and evil deserved to be punished, and he was determined to see to that. It was that purpose that led him to the choice of being a prosecuting attorney.

"So I guess we both have this rare need to be heroes of a sort," Adila murmured, running her fingers through his hair.

"I suppose so," he rejoined, taking her hand in his. "Hopefully I scared the hell out of that kid so he won't ever do anything so stupid again."

"I don't know about that boy but it sure worked on me," she muttered, drinking her tea.

"I would never hurt you," he assured her, stroking her hair.

Adila avoided his intense gaze, concentrating on the tea bag in her cup. She was getting more mixed up by this jigsaw puzzle of a man before her. What other fascinating and scary secrets did he hold locked behind that handsome, calm façade? Only time would tell she guessed.

* * *

Author's Note: Physical violence is a bit out of character for Teru, however, I thought it more appropriate and easier to carry of in a written story than his creepy death glare that causes people to die.


	4. Friends to Roommates

Adila saw Teru standing in the middle of the quad waiting on her. She ran and jumped into his arms, nearly knocking him to the ground. She pressed a swift, chaste kiss to his lips before unwinding herself from his body. Without a word, she shoved the printout of her grades into his hands. She rocked on her feet anxiously while he looked over her grades.

"Congratulations, I knew you could do it," he said, hugging her. "I did promise to take you out if your grades were good. Do you want to go eat now?"

"Sure! Let's go!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm. She took him by the hand and literally dragged him to the subway station in her eagerness. She was starving and her hard-won straight A's were worth a celebration.

It was the end of the day so the subway was packed with commuters on their way home from work and school. Teru put his arm around her protectively as she was pushed against him from the overabundance of bodies in the car. He smiled when she laid her cheek on his chest while holding onto the sides of his open trench coat.

Adila inhaled the masculine smell of him that she always found so alluring. She had no idea what kind of soap or cologne he used but it reminded her of walks in the pine forest surrounding her home when she was growing up. Her arms slipped around his waist while she settled in for the somewhat uncomfortable ride amongst the crushing force of humanity surrounding her. She felt fingers delicately graze her behind but did not react thinking it was Teru exercising a few liberties. Her eyes moved upwards to see that one of his hands was holding the silver ring above their heads while the other was pressed against her back. About the same moment she realized the fingers that had touched her were not his, the hand returned to her butt giving her cheek a firm squeeze.

"What the hell!" she shrieked, pushing her elbow back.

"Oh, god," an obviously male voice mumbled, sounding muffled.

Adila turned to see a man standing behind her covering his nose with his hand while blood oozed down his face. She threw the fortysomething pervert dressed in pair of coveralls a dirty look of disgust before resuming her position of being snuggled into Teru. The subway was becoming a precarious mode of transportation for them.

"Nicely done," Teru complimented, putting his arm back around her.

They had grown quite affectionate with each other but so far nothing had been discussed about a serious relationship. Teru had not stayed over again either. It seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them that it would only lead to trouble and not the kind they needed right now. The entanglement of a relationship would not fit into their plans for the next few years. They were both very regimented, following their routines daily and hardly varying. She adhered as strictly to her schedule as he did his. It was one of the things that had endeared her to him and made him think he wanted her to stick around to see what the future could hold for them.

When the doors opened at their stop, they flowed out with the rest of the people like a deluge of human water washing through a floodgate. Teru held her hand tightly so they would not be separated. He pulled her toward the exit that opened on the surface just a few yards away from their destination.

"So what culinary marvel do you plan to lay to waste today?" he asked her, receiving a kick to the shin. "Ow!"

"You're so mean," Adila muttered, hiding behind her menu so he would not see her smirk. She decided to have breakfast, dinner, and dessert by ordering the pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream and a cheeseburger and fries.

"We're going to have to find a way for you to work off those extra calories if you keep eating like that," he murmured, reaching for her hands.

Adila had a few ideas of a pleasurable way to do that as she looked at the handsome man across the table from her. Sighing noisily, she remembered the vow of self-imposed abstinence she had made to herself. College now, fun later. And he sure looked like fun to her. Clearing her throat, she pulled her hands from his and grabbed the cherry soda she had ordered to sip down half of it through the straw.

"What do you think about moving in with me?" Teru inquired with no warning.

Adila choked, swiftly grabbing her napkin to cover her face so she would not spew the red soda across his pristine white dress shirt. She hacked and coughed, attempting to force the fluid back out of her lungs from her inhale after the unexpected verbal bomb was dropped on her. Her mind reeled while she continued to get herself under control.

"What in the world would possess you to make such a suggestion?" she inquired in a voice hoarse from her fierce coughing fit.

"You make it sound like such an awful thing," he muttered, sipping his coffee.

"It's not that. It's just – "

"I know what it just is and I have the same misgivings too. But since we will continue to have classes together, it would be so much easier for studying if we're both right there. I have a two bedroom apartment. You would have your own room. I don't expect you to sleep with me," he told her matter of factly.

There was a sharp edge to his voice that grated across her nerves, but she decided to let it go. Adila knew he had the same trepidation as her about relationships so there was no reason to be offended. She was thankful for the arrival of their food while she struggled to think of an excuse for not moving in.

"My lease is paid for another five months. I don't know if I will be staying in Japan once the next semester is over," she explained, picking off the lettuce and tomatoes from her cheeseburger. If she had wanted a salad, she would have ordered one.

"You don't?" he questioned, blinking behind his glasses as if he did not comprehend. "I thought you had found a reason to stay."

Adila's eyes flew to his that were studying her face warily. She knew instantly that he wanted to be her reason for staying. They both said things with their mouths to hide what they were really feeling but their eyes betrayed those words by shouting their feelings loud and clear.

"I suppose I have," she said, giving him a feeble smile.

"Is giving in to your feelings that much of a defeat?" he inquired, reaching under the table to touch her knee.

Adila would not tell him but it was a demoralizing loss to be conquered by her feelings. She had set out to be different from other women. She endeavored to be master of her feelings and desires and not allow herself to be tossed with every fickle wave of emotion in the sea of life. It had given her a sense of pride to deny herself from giving in to emotional whims and fleshly longings. She had heard that pride goes before a fall, and she was going down fast.

"When do you want me to move in?"

~\..'../~

* * *

Adila stepped back from the tree to examine it carefully. It leaned a little to the right. She knelt down in front of the small four-foot tall tree before bending over to reach under the lower boughs to reposition it in the stand.

"Adila, where is – " Teru could no longer speak when he saw her behind raised up high the air in the skin-tight black leggings.

"Did you say something, Teru?" she asked, wiggling a bit as she screwed the bolts back into the small trunk of the real tree.

"Uh…" What the hell was he going to ask her?

"Could you help me decorate it? It's my first Christmas away from my parents. And our first Christmas together," she added with a smile.

Teru put down the book in his hand, grabbing the box of assorted decorations from the couch. He handed them to her then picked up the box of delicate and realistic glass icicles to hang. Kneeling down beside her, he placed his hand over hers as they hung the first decoration together.

Adila felt her pulse take off like an anxious racehorse let out of the gate. And it's off! She knew she was a goner from the moment he had asked her to move in. Each day he seemed to grow more charming and lovable, capturing more of her heart. In the two weeks she had been living here, he had served her breakfast in bed twice, given her another massage that melted her very bones, and taken her out to various meals, movies, and other entertainment. True to his word, she had her own room and he had not laid a finger on her other than the occasional hug or virtuous good night kiss. It was a whirlwind romance that made her feel like she was lured into a trap she had no hopes or desires to avoid.

They decorated the tree with all of the ornaments she had bought, saving the angel to go on top for last. Once again laying his hand over hers, they placed the angel on top together.

"Plug it in. I want to see," Teru begged her like an eager child.

Adila smiled; she loved it when he acted so childish because it was in such contrast to his typical stoicism. Once again, having to get on all fours to reach the plug behind the tree, she unwittingly displayed her behind nicely for him.

Teru withheld from touching her despite how badly he wanted to. He oohed with approval when the multi colored lights blinked on. It was particularly pretty how they lit up the glass icicles that took on the color of the light behind it.

"What do you think?" she asked, sitting down beside him on the floor to look at their little tree.

"It's the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen," he murmured, not taking his eyes from her.

A shy smile curled her lips while her cheeks flushed bright pink. Adila knew he was not talking about the tree, although she was not looking at him. She inhaled with a sharp gasp when his fingers brushed across her neck to push her hair back. Her skin erupted with goose bumps as his warm breath blew across her neck. Her fingers twisted into the hem of her sweater in anticipation of his soft lips pressing against her sensitive flesh. Something like a squeak forced its way from her lips when she received the touch she had been waiting for. Biting her lip to hold back any other noises, she breathed harder as his lips kissed her again but further up. Her fingers left her sweater to clutch the super soft fabric of his when he moved closer to her and pressed a kiss to her chin. Opening her eyes, they met his half-lidded cherrywood eyes before he lowered his lips to hers. The kiss was sublime to say the least and breathtaking to say the most.

Teru released her lips without deepening the kiss to hold her gaze again. His fingers combed through her hair and his hand came to rest on her jaw to draw her forward for another kiss. This time he wanted more. Pressing his lips to hers, he pulled her closer to press her body against his. His tongue tested her receptiveness by tentatively pushing through her slightly parted lips then withdrawing. When she opened her lips more, he cautiously slid his tongue into her mouth to meet hers.

Adila felt a craving growing within her. She pulled her lips from his, pushing him away gently.

"We can't," she gasped, looking into his eyes. "I-I can't do this. I'm sorry."

"But why?" he inquired, attempting to hold her but she pushed him away and stood up.

Adila went to the window, staring across the river. She had to admit he had the most wonderful view from his apartment. Her eyes followed the cargo ship as it lazily moved by on the dark river, piled high with metal crates full of merchandise.

"What are you afraid of?" Teru questioned, sliding his arms around her.

"The same thing everyone is afraid of with relationships. Losing control of my emotions… giving part of myself to someone… getting hurt by that person," she said, turning to face him.

"I can't promise I will never hurt you or disappoint you. I can assure you I will never do it on purpose. I want to love you if you will just let me," he murmured, cupping her face in his hands.

"But if we start a real relationship, won't that get in the way of our goals? We both have specific objectives we want to accomplish and set career paths. I don't know if a relationship will be in our best interests," she argued fabulously just like a real lawyer stating her case.

"Are you trying to convince me why I should not want to further our relationship?"

"Yes. I guess I am."

"We're both going in the same direction. We have parallel paths. Why shouldn't they intersect?" he inquired, kissing her forehead.

'Are we planning a road system or a relationship?' she wondered. The beginning of a smile tilted her lips, and she pressed her face into his chest while embracing him. It did feel nice to be in his arms and being held so tightly. Why should she have to be lonely and trapped in a self-exile for the next four years? Why couldn't they do this together when they held many of the same goals? The more she thought about their relationship, she came to the conclusion that they had already been dating for quite some time. Choosing to overlook this fact, she had erroneously called it friendship.

"Look, all relationships are a work in progress. Nothing definite has to be decided today," Teru said, kissing her briefly. Pulling away he returned to the spot where they had been sitting and gazing at the Christmas tree.

Adila walked over to him with a smile on her face, sitting down next to him on the floor. She leaned against him after he put his arm around her and pulled her close. They resumed staring at the beautiful sparkling decorations in the soft glow of the lights gracing the green boughs. They were both deep in thought, contemplating what the future could possibly hold for them. Plans had changed and that unnerved them both to a great degree, but they had to remind themselves that this kind of change was good. Their ideas for the future now involved each other.

~\..'../~

* * *

"What do you want for Christmas?" Teru asked as they walked down the street huddled together.

It was Christmas Eve and they had just attended her favorite ballet, The Nutcracker. Adila had been thrilled when he surprised her with the tickets for the performance. She had talked about her family's Christmas traditions which included attending a live presentation of the Christmas classic. Another tradition that enthralled him was the exchanging of presents. He never tired of giving her presents or unexpected surprises because he enjoyed that look of euphoric delight on her face.

"But I already have everything I want. You just gave me a lovely gift by taking me to the ballet. What more could I ask for?" she inquired, turning to face him. "I received a very unexpected early Christmas present this year."

"What was that?" He put his arms around her, kissing her briefly on the lips.

"You."


	5. Lovers and More

_POP!_ Teru popped the cork on the champagne at exactly midnight. He filled the flutes and handed one to his girlfriend, Adila.

"Look! Fireworks!" she squealed, gracefully getting to her feet from the floor despite the tight black dress she wore.

Teru observed her in silence as she stood at the window watching the colorful bursts over the river as the New Year was heralded in with style. The corners of his mouth lifted while he studied her beautiful face when she became totally engrossed in the sight of the rainbow of explosions to celebrate the beginning of another year. He loved her. He believed he had from the moment they first argued. Although her ideas sometimes opposed his and he did not agree with her stance on some issues, she had captured his mind and his heart. All he could think about was her. She was the only woman he had ever truly wanted to be his and wanted her to be with him forever.

Getting up from the floor, he walked to her so he could stand beside her. So far they had not consummated their relationship. Tonight would be the perfect night: a New Year, a new beginning, and a new phase of their relationship. He sat his glass down next to hers on the wide window sill so he could touch her.

Adila sighed when he kissed the back of her bare neck. She had dressed up for the occasion although she knew they were just staying home. Her best black dress had come out of the closet but she had skipped the high heel shoes in favor of bare feet. Her hair had been swept up and neatly styled in a plain ballerina bun. At this moment she was exceedingly glad she had opted for the updo as he pressed many stimulating kisses to her exposed neck. Her stomach fluttered nervously as thoughts sped through her brain that tonight could be the night he officially made her his. She had not pressed the issue of sex despite how much she wanted it. This man intrigued her and she wanted to be with him for a long time. In her other relationships, she had always hurried, always pushed too fast in her desperation to get to that next level so she could find her forever love. Forever always turned out to be a hell of a shorter than she imagined and love never had anything to do with it.

Teru slid his arms around her body, relishing the soft velvet of her dress under his fingers. His hands moved upwards to her breasts encased in the tight bodice of the strapless dress. He smiled when he heard her sudden intake of air as his hands covered her breasts and molded to them. Kissing then licking her neck, he pulled a moan from her that excited him greatly.

Adila reached back, her fingers clutching the fabric of his loose jeans to pull him against her. She had bought him the jeans for Christmas and was pleasantly surprised he actually wore them. His hardness pressing against her behind made her feel weak with desire.

"Teru," she breathed, when one of his hands moved down to her thigh. She bit her lower lip when his fingers slid under the short dress and around her inner thigh.

"Oh, my," he murmured in her ear when his fingers did not encounter a barrier of material. He practically purred after his fingers brushed against her womanhood and were covered with wetness.

Adila turned to face him, pressing her mouth to his for a hungry kiss. Sighing into his mouth when his lips touched hers, she melted into the kiss leaning heavily on his body. Pushing herself up on her toes, her tongue boldly entered his mouth to find his. She had been pushed beyond her ability to restrain herself anymore. She lost her composure and all semblance of modesty as she relayed her need for him by pressing her hand against the proof of his craving for her that was long and hard in his pants. Her hands slid under his sweater savoring the feel of his skin and muscle under her fingertips. He was muscular but not in the obvious way with muscles that stood out and were well defined. Her fingers slid over his chest and abdomen feeling the firm, sinewy strands of the muscle fibers running beneath his skin. She smiled when the nerves would make the muscles quiver occasionally from her light touch. Unbuttoning and unzipping his pants while she kissed down his chest and abdomen, she grasped his hardness in her hand to stroke him gently as she made her way down.

"Don't," he barked without intending to be so gruff. He pulled her up to face him, kissing her tenderly. "Don't do that. It's unbecoming of a goddess. I want to make love to you."

"Goddess?" she inquired, confused as to why he would call her that.

"Yes," he murmured, kissing her briefly before gazing into her eyes. "You are the object of my devotion. My one desire. My everything. I will worship you with all of my heart, mind, and body."

Adila cried out when she felt the head of his member at her entrance waiting for the right moment. Her eyes remained focused on his. He had taken away her ability to speak with the stunning romantic confession. Her body was pressed to the wall as he slowly entered her.

"Oh, god," she gasped in his ear, enveloping him with her arms. She closed her eyes and clung to him, emitting sighs of pleasure as he impaled her at a disturbingly slow pace.

Teru wanted this feeling to last as long as possible. It was marvelous how her inner body was caressing him, contracting and releasing, drawing a moan of grateful bliss from his lips.

"Mmmm…my goddess, my love," he whispered to her, moving his hips slightly.

Adila slipped her hands back under his sweater, wanting to luxuriate in the wonder of his body as he tenderly made love to her and took her as his own. She anticipated his kiss, rising to meet him as he claimed her lips again.

Teru watched her as he made love to her, imprinting every sigh of pleasure, every grimace of agonizing ecstasy on her face in his memory. He could feel the climax building, the burning heat in his thighs flowing to an almost painful tightening at the base of his manhood that begged to be released. He stared at her face when she shut her eyes tightly, opening her mouth to emit rhythmic little cries of bliss as she neared her end. His body decided there would be no holding back and he discharged within her after whispering her name as a plea when the pleasure overtook him and nearly made him collapse. However, he could not be weak for her. Holding her tightly as she shuddered through her orgasm, he kissed her lips to muffle their loud expressions of ultimate ecstasy.

Adila opened her eyes when he fell to his knees in front her. Her hand tenderly stroked his head as he looked up at her. She loved him senselessly and completely. In that moment, she wanted to belong to him forever – she had to be his, needed to be his. This feeling was what she had feared the most.

~\..'../~

* * *

_End of Spring Semester and Adila's first year at To'Oh University – Decision Time_

Adila paced in front of the windows of their apartment as she waited for one of her parents to answer the phone. The last few weeks had been stressful and sleepless. She had an important decision to make since the end of her year was coming to a close. She made that decision by using logic and reason to sort through the pros and cons. The fateful call was being made to inform her parents of her conclusion. Her plans included staying to finish her education here, but with one unanticipated addition – Teru Mikami would be her boyfriend. The phone clicked as someone answered, and her mother's silky, calm voice filled her ear.

"Hello? Adila?" her mother called when her daughter did not say anything after the initial hello.

"Mama!" she gushed, her body tensing. She rubbed her temple as the headache began from her neck muscles tightening with stress.

"How are you, darling? I've been looking forward to your call. What have you decided?"

Adila smiled. She was definitely her mother's daughter. They did not like to mince words or dance around a subject. They charged at it head-on and honestly, no matter how painful it might be.

"Mama, is Daddy listening? You both need to hear this," she said, clearing her throat to rid herself of the choking lump formed by her strong emotions.

This would be the first time her parents would be hearing any of this because she had purposely kept their conversations short and shallow, speaking only about her classes and grades and if she was eating well. They did not know anything about Teru but that was about to change.

"Hey, Pumpkin, I sure do miss you," her father's deep baritone came across the speaker of her phone.

"Daddy," she gasped, tears forming in her eyes. Her daddy was the only man she had ever loved completely and deeply until now.

"All right, kiddo. Let us have it," prompted her mother.

"I've decided to stay here and pursue my studies. I still have the same goal of becoming a criminal psychologist and profiler. But…" She swallowed. She could feel the anticipatory tension all the way through the phone.

"But what?" demanded her mother, her voice higher pitched from anxiety. "Baby, tell us."

"I've met a man. I-I love him," she stammered, feeling like a stupid kid in love. That sounded so…so dumb and childish.

"What?" her parents inquired calmly in perfect harmony.

"I met someone and began dating him. I'm living with him. He's studying to be a Prosecuting Attorney. We have a lot of the same classes. That's how we met actually was in my very first class here. We are both striving for our goals. We're not letting our relationship sidetrack us. I –" She knew she was babbling when her father sharply called her name.

"Adila, stop. You're a grown woman. You are capable of making your own decisions. Your life is up to you now. Live it however you see fit," her father told her.

Adila smiled through her tears. Her father was the one who usually stood by while her mother made the decisions arbitrarily as she thought best. Her mother had always been the voice of the household, doling out advice when asked (and sometimes when _not_ asked) and admonitions when necessary. Daddy had always stayed in the background being her hero and her prince charming. He was always there for her when she needed a protector but never as her advisor and definitely not as the disciplinarian.

"But Cam – " her mother hissed to be cut off by him clearing his throat.

"She's not a child anymore, Kalyani. Don't push her away like your parents did you," he warned her.

An uncomfortable silence fraught with tension ensued, but she was thankful her parents did not continue their argument.

"I suppose we will have to plan a vacation to Japan or send you plane tickets so we can see our daughter and her new man, huh?" her father asked cheerfully. It was obvious he was trying to stay positive despite the announcement that his daughter would be staying in a foreign country with another man. She could almost hear the tears in his voice. Men don't cry – especially not in the South.

"Why don't you come in July? That's just a little less than two months away. There will be festivals for us to attend and so many things for us to do. It will be wonderful!" she exclaimed happily. She could not bear the thought of making her father sad.

"All right, sweetheart. We'll start planning now," her father assured her. "I love you, Baby."

"I love you too, Daddy. I love you too, Mama," she said.

"I love you," her mother sighed begrudgingly. Her mother was still trying to get accustomed to the idea that her daughter had officially begun her life and was not afraid to let her know she was not entirely happy with the decision by less than subtle means.

Adila hung up the phone, releasing an ecstatic squeal. The conversation she had dreaded went better than she could have hoped for and it was over. She was excited that she would finally get to see her parents after a whole year. They wanted to meet Teru. She halted her jubilant little dance, sighing loudly. Now to tell her reticent and sometimes stubborn boyfriend. He did not like changes to his daily routine, and he did not like surprises – this would be both.

...

* * *

"I called my parents today to let them know about my decision to stay," Adila told Teru at dinner that night. She had cooked his favorite meal in hopes that it would soften the blow of what she was about to say.

"That's good," he responded quietly. "What did they say?"

"They are coming to visit. They want to meet you," Adila blurted nervously, not sure if he would be upset by that. When Teru dropped his chopsticks, she fretfully added, "I thought we could take them to a few of the festivals and they could stay here and –"

"No," he interrupted emphatically.

"What?" she asked, not understanding which part he was objecting to.

"They can't stay here. I don't mind if they visit and we can spend time with them but at night I want you to myself. I want to be able to make love to you without your parents being in the next room," he explained, shoveling food into his mouth.

"But it's only for a week. Can't we just _not_ have sex for a week?" she inquired. She missed her parents terribly and wanted to spend as much time with them as possible.

Teru calmly wiped his mouth with the linen napkins he had insisted on buying. She had thought it was a ridiculous waste of money when paper napkins would be fine. Adila was slowly becoming accustomed to his unyielding and uptight ways. He had certain ideas about how things should be and it was easier just to go along with it. Standing up from his chair, he walked around the table to her. He took her by the hand to lead her to the bedroom.

"What are you –" Her sentence was interrupted his mouth covering hers in a rough, forceful kiss.

Teru unbuttoned her shirt, pushing it down her arms. His lips dotted her neck with insistent, passionate kisses. He pushed her down on the bed while he stood in front of her unbuttoning his dress shirt as her hands moved over his chest and abdomen. He moaned, pushing his fingers into her hair when she swiftly freed him from his trousers. His fingers gripped her hair, and he forced himself not to pull, especially when he felt the fantastic warm wetness of her tongue circling the head. Unable to hold back, his hips pushed toward her face and the head slipped between her lips.

"Adila," he groaned, holding her head firmly as she slowly slid down his length one delicious inch at a time.

What she was doing to him right now was nothing he had ever felt before and he liked it. He could feel his end nearing when her hand stroked him to match the movements of her lightly sucking mouth. His body tensed and prepared to climax as he thrust at her face uncontrollably. His excitement grew exponentially when she did not remove her mouth as he climaxed.

Teru moved his hands down to her shoulders to steady himself while he tried to catch his breath. He watched her intently while she removed her bra. His eyes hovered over her pert breasts with the dark brown nipples as she stared up to him.

"Touch me," Adila pleaded, grasping his hand and moving it to cover her breast.

Teru allowed his hand to just lie there at first, feeling the nipple grow rigid beneath his palm. He massaged the firm mound of flesh gently. His eyes observed the blissful expression cross her face and she moaned lightly. Wanting to see more and hear more, his other hand went to her other breast.

Adila bit her lower lip and closed her eyes as he teased her nipples by pinching them lightly between his thumb and forefinger. She sighed with pleasure when his hands slid down her body while he dropped to his knees to kneel in front of her. Her body trembled slightly when his fingers curled over the top of her pants to slowly peel them, along with her panties, off of her body. Her hand rested on top his head as he looked up at her. Laying back on the bed, she released another rapturous sigh when his tongue touched the most feminine and sensitive part of her.

"Oh, Teru," she moaned from the pleasure coursing through her body.

Everything about this man seemed to be pure, ecstasy inducing magic. With his hands, his tongue, his lips, and the other thing, he could nearly drive her insane with pleasure. Right now, his mouth was bringing her to the edge of a screaming orgasm. When he enclosed the extra sensitive little nub with his lips and sucked gently he demolished her senses with orgasmic delight that left her squirming and crying beneath his mouth. His lips pressed kisses to her inner thighs, giving her a chance to calm down.

Adila erroneously thought he was done when his mouth moved up to her belly to adorn it with soft little kisses. Her fingers were stroking through his long, silky hair when she felt his fingers slide into her. She cried out and pulled his hair when his mouth moved back down to lick her some more. Before long, she was writhing and yelling out his name from another orgasm.

Afterward, Teru sat back on his heels to stare at her with an evident smirk of self-satisfaction on his handsome face.

"Tell me, my goddess, can _**you**_ live without sex for a week?" he questioned her before returning his mouth to her body. He did not wait for answer because he already knew it.

Adila howled with pleasure when she felt his tongue impale her teasingly. She would find a very nice hotel and make reservations for her parents.


	6. The Parent Test

Adila paced anxiously beside the car as they waited in the pickup lane in the airport. She glanced occasionally at Teru who smiled at her to give her moral support. How would her parents react to him? Would they be upset with her? Would they be happy? So many questions, but no answers yet.

"Beti*! Beti!" a familiar female voice yelled.

"Maa*! Baap*!" she hollered back, missing her boyfriend cringing in the rental car from their loud greeting.

Teru was accustomed to her being quiet and composed even when delivering her blatant sarcasm. He had the feeling he was about to see a different side of her. Getting out of the car to assist with the suitcases, he was shocked to see a woman that looked like an older, darker version of his girlfriend and a man roughly the size of a small barn. Adila had warned him that her father had been a football player while attending university and would have had a professional career had he not sustained a neck injury from an overzealous tackle. He was almost a foot taller than Teru and twice as wide with blonde hair and icy blue eyes. Her mother had black hair, black eyes, and dark brown skin. They seemed friendly enough and greeted him warmly. Her mother even hugged him. So far things were off to a great start.

"These are my parents, Cam and Kalyani Rester*," she introduced them. "Mom, Dad, this is Teru Mikami, my boyfriend."

Teru looked at her questioningly. Why was her last name different? He would be sure to ask her later.

"I figured we'd drop you guys off at the hotel. I'm sure you would to get some sleep to recover from the long flight. Oh, the car stays with you by the way. We're accustomed to walking or taking the trains or subway, but we rented it for you. Here's the address and directions to our apartment. It's not hard to find," she chattered nervously, handing them the long piece of paper. "We can walk to the festival from there. I'm so excited you are here. I've missed you so much. If you need anything just – "

"Sweetheart, breathe please," her father said, interrupting her. He loved his daughter but he was getting a headache from her incessant prattle. "We'll be fine. You're mother and I have travelled to foreign countries before. It is how I met her, remember?"

"Yes, sir," she answered, hanging her head to hide her chagrin.

Teru reached over to hold her hand, squeezing it lightly to reassure her. "Stop worrying so much. I'm sure they will enjoy their trip. They came to be with you anyway," he reminded her.

"So Teru, you're studying to be a prosecuting attorney," her father began to start a dialogue between them. He wanted to get to know this man better since Teru could possibly be the one who takes his daughter away from him.

...

* * *

"That seemed to go well," Teru said when they entered their apartment.

"Yes, it did," Adila replied, sitting down on the couch and sighing loudly.

Teru stood in front of her, staring down at her. "Why is your last name different?"

"Sharvani is my middle name. I've been using it since I started high school. I didn't want any special privileges or treatment because of who my parents are," she explained, taking his hand that he held out to her. "I just never switched back to using my real last name."

"Well, you're my goddess. You're special to me, no matter what," he told her, pulling her to a standing position.

Adila slid her arms around his neck as his lips met hers. She looked at her watch checking to see how much time they had before her parents were due to arrive. They had four hours which would be plenty of time for a long, luxurious lovemaking session, and it will still allow her enough time to get dinner ready. She smiled as he pulled her to the bedroom.

"Get undressed," Teru ordered her, lying down on the bed to watch her as she took off her clothes.

"What are you up to?" she asked suspiciously, doing as he asked.

Teru watched her with covetous eyes, concentrating on her every movement. Once she was naked, he beckoned her to him with a wave of his hand. With a command to undress him, he lay back as she took her time unbuttoning his shirt and removing it before she moved to his pants.

"How badly do you want it?" he inquired, placing her hand around his hardened member.

"What?" she queried in disbelief. He never played games like this. Maybe there was still quite a few things left to learn about him.

"How badly do you want it?" he repeated slowly, thrusting himself into her hand.

"You know I always want you," she murmured, leaning forward to press her lips against his.

"Then take it," he told her, putting his hand on her hip and pulling her toward him.

Adila carefully mounted him, closing her eyes to allow the pleasure and power to wash over. She was in charge of him now. This was the first time he had let her take control. Her hips moved up and down slowly so she could feel every inch of him inside of her. She yelped when he pulled her down and pushed up at the same time, reaching depths he had not before. It caused a mild, jolting pain at the deepest part of her body, but at the same time it felt good to have him buried so deeply within her. She moaned and rocked her hips when he held her tightly against him. A smile tilted her lips when he gave her a shaky sigh of blissful approval. Lying down on top of him, she kissed him while moving her hips gently bringing them both incomprehensible pleasures.

"Teru," she gasped when the climax built with a sudden fury and released with surprising intensity.

"Oooh, my goddess, want to do it again?" he asked, holding her down by her thighs as he pushed up into her.

"Oh, yes," she moaned, feeling another orgasm coming as he ground his body into hers.

"Adila," he groaned, pushing her over the edge again at the same time he climaxed. They had gotten pretty good at having simultaneous orgasms which gave them an even deeper sense of unity in their entire relationship. "My beautiful goddess, I love you."

"What?" she asked, pushing against his chest to sit up.

"What?"

"Say it again."

"I love you," he repeated, pushing a stray curl behind her ear. He could not take his eyes from hers as she held his gaze.

"I love you too," she replied, tears filling her eyes.

For the first time in her life, a man had told her those three fateful words and meant them.

...

* * *

"Well, since your parents are here, I might as well share my good news," Teru announced during dessert.

Adila was thrilled how he had loosened up around her parents and how they seemed to have taken to him. This was going even better than she could have wished for. She sat forward kissing her boyfriend on the cheek.

"Okay. So tell us," she prompted him, holding his hand.

"You know that internship, the paralegal position I applied for at Okibashi group?" he asked, seeing by her jubilant gaze that she already understood.

"Oooh, honey, congratulations! I'm so proud of you. That's really impressive considering you've just finished your second year," she said, kissing him on the lips this time. She ignored her mother's snort of disapproval. How dare her mother of all people suddenly be so concerned about propriety and proper manners.

"I plan to keep going during the summer semesters for the next few years so we can graduate at the same time. Otherwise I'd have another year to go after you graduate. I want to start my own firm and I want you to be with me," he said, kissing the back of her hand.

"You could talk to your Uncle Anthony at Christmas about getting you an internship at the Tokyo FBI office. He was so proud when we told him what you were studying for. He said he would help you any way he could," her father assured her.

"That would be great!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Are you ready to go?"

"Go where?" her mother inquired with curiosity.

"They're having a lantern festival tonight by the river. You can see the river from here. I thought we'd go light a lantern for grandmother and grandfather," Adila said, giving her mother a shaky smile. She was refering to her maternal grandparents.

"I think that would be a good idea."

...

* * *

By nightfall, the waterfront was lined with food booths and merchandisers of all kinds. They stopped by one booth to buy lanterns to light and set afloat in the night sky. Teru pointed out a lantern with the Japanese symbol for reconciliation and another one painted with the symbol for healing after Adila had explained the fractured relationship between her mother and her parents. Usually the lanterns were lit for the dead but for all basic intents and purposes, her mother's parents had proclaimed themselves dead to her. Teru bought one to send off for his mother but not for his father. He never knew him so he figured why bother. He had hated his mother right at the end before her death because she did not support his ideas about punishing bullies. She had wanted him to take a more pacifistic approach or forget the thing entirely. But he could not forget because of what had been done to him and what he had seen others endure.

The vendor lit the candles for them and they held on to their lanterns as the warm air filled the paper balloons. They all walked down to the riverfront to say a quick prayer before releasing the lantern into the night sky to join the rest. They stood for a long time without saying a word to just watch the constant parade of soft twinkling lights in the dark sky.

"It's so beautiful," her mother whispered with tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, Mama," Adila sighed, hugging her mother. She knew her mother missed her parents, however, she also made it clear she never regretted her decision to marry Cam and stay in the United States.

"I will never ask you to make the decision my parents gave me," she assured her daughter, holding her tightly.

Both men shuffled their feet uncomfortably waiting for the poignant emotional moment to end between the mother and daughter. Cam and Teru had found common ground in that they were both ill at ease with displays of deep sentiment and strong emotion particularly in public. Each man was completely comfortable with holding their woman's hand though as they walked past each booth to look at each vendor's wares. They ate Dango and Shaved Ices as they perused the selection at a jeweler's tent.

Teru was looking over the rings when Adila came to stand beside him. He found one made of pure silver that looked like a dragon; it would coil around her finger up to her knuckle. The mouth of dragon was open and holding a pearl. The jeweler explained that it was a representation of Toyotama-hime*, a daughter of the sea god Ryujin.

"It's lovely," Adila murmured, sliding it on to her left hand ring finger. While she was busy admiring the ring, she did not notice Teru asking the merchant the price of the ring by using hand gestures.

"It's yours," Teru told her, handing money to the vendor once they agreed upon a price.

"What?" she asked, blinking at him as if she did not understand. She loved the ring but she had not intended for him to buy it. It had to be expensive.

"It's yours," he repeated, taking her hand in his. "Until I replace it with a different kind of ring."

"Oh, my how romantic," her mother gasped.

"Mom!" she hissed, but her mother's outburst did not ruin the romance of the moment. She kissed Teru, keeping the kiss short and somewhat chaste. She would thank him more passionately later in private.

At the next stall Adila found Juzu bead bracelets. She always thought they were beautiful. The exchange student from Japan that had stayed with them had left his jade bracelet with her before leaving. It was still in her jewelry box at home. She bought a rosewood bracelet for Teru because it reminded her of the maroon brown of his eyes. Feeling that she needed a new bracelet to commemorate her relationship with Teru, she chose a jade one for herself which was almost the same shade of green as her eyes. After choosing a bracelet made of sapphire blue agate for her father and one of ebony for her mother, she gave it to them explaining why she had picked them which was also for their eyes and because she wanted to give them a souvenir they could always wear to remember this moment.

...

* * *

Today they would be attending the Gion Matsuri festival in Kyoto. The highlight of this festival, and the reason they had come on this particularly day, was the Yamahoko-junko parade which is a procession of large, gorgeously, and richly decorated Yamahoko floats. It was like the lantern festival with food vendors and sellers peddling all kinds of souvenirs and goods but on a much larger, much grander scale with more pomp and circumstance. Teru took them through several of the nearby family homes who had opened their entryways to the public to display with great pride part of their precious family heritages in the form of family heirlooms and artifacts in a custom known as the Byōbu Matsuri, or Folding Screen Festival.

Adila could not be more proud of Teru who was working hard to make a good impression on her parents and so far was doing an incredible job. Her parents seemed to be having the time of their lives. They had travelled internationally before but this had been their first trip to Japan. It was made even better by having someone who took so much pride in his culture to be their tour guide. They ate and walked and talked until it was time for people to start gathering for the parade of impressive floats.

Once the procession began, oohing and aahing arose to a degree comparable to that of watching a fireworks display. The floats were tall and amazingly extravagant like nothing she had ever seen before in her life. The pride and hard work that had gone into each float was evident by their wondrous beauty.

Teru had as much fun watching her and her parents' reactions as he did watching the parade. He was captivated by their open expressions and willingness to exhibit their emotions. He wished he could be more like that instead of so reserved and always holding back. Reaching out to touch her cheek, he stared at the woman who was patiently teaching him how to feel real emotion and truly love for the first time in his life. Sometimes it frightened him how much he loved her because it was so overwhelming, almost obsessive and consuming.

Adila released a surprised but happy shriek when he grabbed her and kissed her passionately right in the middle of the crowd of people which included her parents. She slid her arms around his neck, kissing him back with conviction not caring who was watching. She loved him senselessly and devastatingly like he did her.

"I want to marry you someday!" he yelled over the crowd.

"What?" she hollered back, unable to hear.

"I want to marry you. I love you," he said right into her ear so she could hear it this time.

Adila clung to him with joyous tears running down her face. If only their relationship could have been frozen in this time, in this emotion…however, not all bumps in the road of life can be anticipated or prevented.

~\..'../~

* * *

*Author's Notes*:

Hindi translations: Beti – Daughter/Maa – Mother/Baap – Father

FYI – Adila means just or fair and Sharvani – another name for Parvati, a queen of the god Shiva (the Destroyer).

Rester – Yes, as in Anthony Rester who works with Near. Cam is his brother but an OC that I created of course.

wiki/Toyotama-hime - For more information for the curious.


	7. Truth and Consequences

Teru stared at her with anger in his eyes as she walked away from him. His lips compressed until they disappeared from the fury he was struggling to keep under control. His body flinched when she slammed the bedroom door to lock herself inside. Maybe he had been staying late at the office too much. Had he let another love replace his love for her? Possibly. Couldn't she understand that it was work; his love for his chosen career that was keeping him away from her and not another woman? Apparently not. He knocked on the bedroom door, attempting to draw her out. Things had been so perfect. What happened? He had been working at the firm for five months now and they were well into another semester. He still had plenty of time for her and for study so what was the big deal if he was staying and hour or two late and going in on some Saturdays at the law office? Was it because of the paralegal with the implants that he was not attracted to anyway? Surely Adila could not think he was interested in that woman who had more fake parts on her than a Rolex bought from a guy on the street.

"Go away, Teru! I just want to be alone. You leave me that way most of the time anyway!" she shrieked at him in a very unseemly and pouty manner. Without warning, she burst from the room carrying her coat on her arm. It was a short, lipstick red trench coat that he had bought for her to match his black one but to be specifically feminine.

"What now? Where are you going?" he demanded, grabbing her arm.

"OUT!" she shouted, snatching her arm out of his grip and shrugging on her coat over her pink sweater and jeans. She looked like some kind of Valentine's day sweet in those colors. Right now she definitely did not seem very sweet.

Teru glowered at her back as she swept through the door and slammed it behind her. How uncouth! Slamming doors like a simple minded, overemotional child. He absolutely refused to run after her. It was not his fault she had gotten the wrong impression. He was working hard to achieve his goals and she should appreciate that. Of all people, he thought she would understand his motivation. This was their first lover's quarrel, and he hated it. Especially since she made it seem like he had caused it.

...

* * *

Adila had just finished her first bottle of sake at the little outdoor tent stand that lined the street with many others. She had picked this one simply because she had gotten tired of walking and wandering aimlessly through the streets. Just as she called for another one, a man sat down in the seat across from her. Her eyes met his dark black ones, and he smiled. She did not return it in hopes he would get the hint she wanted to be alone and leave. Apparently understanding subtle hints was not his strong point. That could also be due to the fact that he was half lit as well.

"I've never seen a Japanese man with an afro before," she commented, tipping her chin at the waitress as she sat down the tokkuri full of sake.

Adila glared at the man when he grabbed the bottle and filled her cup. She became downright indignant when he had the nerve to raise the cup to his lips.

"Excuse me," she grumbled, resisting the impulse to slap him. "Who in the hell do you think you are?"

"Oh, please forgive me," he said unapologetically, reaching across the table to shake her hand. "My name is Shuichi Aizawa."

"I don't care who you are. I just want you to go the hell away," she hissed, calling the waitress for another cup and another bottle of sake.

"Can I at least drink with you for a while? I'm celebrating because I just received the news that I have been promoted to a detective for the NPA," he told her, pouring sake in the new cup that was sat down in front her.

"Congratulations," she snapped, drinking the contents of the cup in one gulp. "Why are you celebrating alone?"

"Wow!" he commented, ignoring her question and refilling her cup. He held up his cup and she took the cue to refill it. He had actually committed a serious social faux pas by filling his own cup earlier but he was too drunk to care.

"Why are you so upset? It's obvious you've been crying," he pointed out.

"Way to go, Sherlock. No wonder you're a detective," she snorted, raising her cup to drink.

"Sherlock?"

"Never mind."

Whether she wanted him or not, Adila had a drinking buddy and companion to keep her company. The conversation flowed freely between them since their tongues had been loosened greatly by the sake. At some point they exchanged phone numbers. She was not sure if she had forgotten the fact she had a boyfriend on purpose or by accident because of the sake. When she finally remembered it was too late to explain nor did she really care to. One thing she had not forgotten was how angry she was with Teru.

Shuichi offered to escort her home and she accepted. Her luck had never been too good on the subway. Now that it was the wee hours of the morning, and she was drunk, she was sure her luck would be even worse. Who would be stupid enough to assault a woman with a National Police Agency detective by her side? So what if he was brand new? They would not know that any more than they would know he was a detective.

"Ichi, you're a very nice man," Adila sighed, putting her feet in his lap once they were situated in a seat. They were alone together in the subway car.

"You're a very nice woman when your attitude doesn't get in the way," he returned, taking off her shoes to rub her feet.

"Oh, god that feels good," she gasped as his thumbs dug into her aching soles. "Oh, yes, you're a very, very nice man."

Adila smiled when she heard him chuckling lightly. She leaned back against the railing and closed her eyes to enjoy the unexpected foot massage from her new friend. She fell asleep before they reached her stop, and he watched over her despite how badly he wanted to fall asleep himself.

Shuichi tried to wake her up when the conductor announced her stop, but she was out cold. He should have just taken her to his apartment to begin with.

...

* * *

Adila woke up to the smell of coffee and the pain of a headache.

"Good morning," an unfamiliar male voice greeted her.

Adila screamed upon seeing the man with black eyes and an afro. What unusual hair. Where was she? Her eyes scanned the neat and sparsely furnished apartment. A shooting pain felt as if it were splitting her brain in two. It was as if the pain released the memory of last night: sake, way too much sake, and meeting the man who was at present standing in front of her with a cup of coffee and pain pills. She eagerly held out her hands for both, managing a lopsided grin in thanks. Oh, Teru was going to kill her. She looked around for her coat and saw it neatly laid over the chair next the couch she was laying on.

"Looking for this?" Shuichi inquired, digging in the pocket for her phone and handing it to her.

"Yes, thank you. I'm sorry," she apologized feeling her cheeks heat up with shame and humiliation.

"About what?" he asked, sitting down in the chair across from her.

"Getting drunk and passing out," she answered, opening her phone to check for messages. Not a single missed called or text. Well, Teru was the obstinate cold hearted bastard, wasn't he?

"Who's Teru?" he questioned her like a good detective.

"Hmmm?" she mumbled, looking at him over her coffee cup.

Shuichi had to smile at her. All he could see around the cup was two big green eyes staring at him wide eyed and supposedly innocent. He knew the man she was calling for in her drunken sleep was her boyfriend. She had actually told him about the boyfriend in her inebriated state. After all, it was because of that man that she was at an outdoor sake stand by herself getting plastered. He had thought she was quite dramatic and somewhat pathetic at first. Then he realized she just felt alone and scared because she was a foreigner here and had given up everything she knew for her boyfriend to stay with him. That relationship had hit a rough spot and she did what anyone her age would do – go drown her sorrows in drink.

"I know he's your boyfriend. You need to go home to him," he said, watching her as she finished off her coffee with the same delight she had used on the sake last night.

"Oh, crap! I've got classes to get to! You've also got your first day of work as a detective. I've got to go!" she yelled, jumping to her feet. Grabbing her jacket, she rushed to the door to retrieve her shoes.

"Hey, wait!" he exclaimed, moving to her swiftly before she hurried out of the door. "Can I take you to lunch sometime?"

"Sure. Just text me," she replied, leaning forward to give him a quick peck on the lips.

Shuichi stared after her as she ran down the hall like she were fleeing for her life. He touched his lips with his fingertips still in shock from the unexpected, brief kiss from the very unique woman he had met last night.

...

* * *

Adila arrived to an empty apartment. She showered and dressed, grabbing her books for class. Her first class was with Teru. She snuck in the back door of the classroom that led to the upper level of the seating. Carefully slinking down the aisle and thanking providence that the professor had chosen today to show a movie, she slid into her seat beside Teru. She did not know whether to be happy or upset by his lack of reaction to her sudden appearance.

"Where were you last night?" he asked calmly not taking his eyes from the screen.

"I went out drinking," she answered simply.

"All night?"

"Well…"

"Look, now is not the time. We'll discuss this when I get home from work."

Adila did not say another word. She tried to concentrate on the film that showed interviews with several serial killers. Any other time she would have been completely fascinated and the psychos on the screen would have had her undivided attention. Instead, all she could think about was the man next to her. What was she going to tell him? How would she explain this?

...

* * *

Adila jumped up from the couch when she heard the door open which alerted her to Teru's return home. Her eyes moved to the digital clock on the television: 8:38. He should have been home over two hours ago. She suddenly remembered why she had gone out drinking last night. The stab of pain in her heart made her ache all over. She no longer felt like his goddess, his chosen one, his beloved.

"Tell me what happened. And don't bother lying. I want to know the truth," Teru said in a disturbingly tranquil voice.

Adila swallowed convulsively as he sat down in front of her in the chair. She noted how he looked like a true prosecuting attorney in his black suit and red tie, regarding her coldly with his eyes that glowed with an inner fire of anger. She found it creepy how his voice betrayed nothing of the tumultuous emotion held in his fierce maroon brown eyes.

"Am I on trial here?" she asked, her voice sounding weaker than she had intended for it to.

"If you choose to see it that way, yes," he responded calmly, folding his long fingers together under his chin. "Any time you would like to start."

Adila took a deep, shaky breath feeling like a child being reprimanded by a cruel and emotionally sadistic father. She avoided his penetrating gaze as she recounted the events of last night. She drank herself senseless at a sake stand, met a man who took her home, and she woke up in his apartment this morning. Even as she tried to explain that nothing had happened between them, not even a passionate kiss, she found it hard to believe herself.

"Take off your clothes," Teru ordered her calmly.

"Wh-what?" she stammered, sure she had not heard him correctly.

"Take off your clothes," he repeated patiently, enunciating each word carefully.

Adila's face burned from the degradation of her present situation. After slowly stripping down to nothing, she stood in front of him completely naked feeling vulnerable and apprehensive. She did not like the way he was staring at her. His obvious but overly controlled anger frightened her. It was like waiting for a roiling volcano to erupt. Her eyes moved over his body as he undressed in front of her. Confusion began to set in as she pondered what he could possibly be about to do to her. She would have never guessed he had a little bit of freakiness hiding inside because of his usual uptight, prudish attitude toward sex. In almost five months, it had been plain missionary sex. It was great but a little variety in positions was nice and the occasional tongue lashing was incredibly pleasurable. What was he planning for tonight?

Adila held her breath as he moved toward her with a definitive predatory look in his eyes. She cried out briefly when he grabbed a handful of her hair, using it to pull her to him. The rest of her sharp call was muffled by his lips covering hers for a rough, abusive kiss. Was he seriously going to _punish_ her for her indiscretion? Her already muddled mind became hopelessly twisted and jumbled as he pulled her to the bedroom by her hair. Her brain was trying to process her present situation as thoughts bombarded it like mental bullets. She was flung onto the bed violently and uncaringly. How could he be doing this to her?

"Roll onto your belly," Teru ordered her gently.

Adila rolled over obediently, the niggling fear in the back of her head growing. She held her breath as his fingers tenderly grazed her shoulders. The breath she had been holding gushed from her lips as his fingertips trailed down her back and over her behind. She yelped in pain and surprise when he smacked her behind.

"Teru, what the hell are –"

"Although I appreciate your honesty, it does not change the fact that you were with another man. You are mine and you would do well to remember that. What you did is evil and you should be punished."

The fear increased when he gave her another punishing slap. How incredibly humiliating. She was getting spanked like a rebellious child who lied about stealing the last cookie from the cookie jar. It was a dreadful and alarming new side of him. Something about it was distressingly exciting. She yelled out his name when he popped her tender behind again. Lying on the bed drawing in long deep breaths, she was unable to sort out her baffling and conflicting feelings. Fear, excitement, apprehension, and arousal clashed inside her body and mind as he continued with the spanking.

"Teru, please," she begged as sexual excitement and pain raced through her body simultaneously. Her breathing became loud and erratic like the panting of a dog when he pulled her behind up until she was on her knees.

Teru shoved into her with no warning causing both of them to yell out in blissful surprise from her body's tightness caused by her fear and arousal. He thrust into her with long, powerful strokes unsure if her cries were from pleasure or pain. At this moment, he did not care. He had not anticipated the sexual excitement that would come with her physical reprimand. Slamming his body into hers with strong, penalizing strokes, he reached his limit rather quickly. Yelling out her name, his fingernails stabbed her delicate skin as he discharged deep inside of her.

Adila slid down to her belly, her body shivering from shock. She was unsure what to think at present. Her scrambled mind could not comprehend her wildly incompatible thoughts and emotions. Tears burned her eyes, and she let them come.

"Don't cry, my love," Teru murmured, stroking her head. "You are my immaculate and perfect goddess. Please don't disappoint me again."

Adila cried softly as he lay down beside her and pulled her into his arms. She trembled against his body while he kissed away her tears and soothed over her fears with tender words. Her body relaxed against him, and she fell asleep in his arms.


	8. Saying Goodbye

Adila received a text during her first class from Shuichi Aizawa asking about a lunch date. A smile lit her face because the man was not wasting any time and did not follow that stupid male rule of making a woman wait at least a week before contacting her. She did not mind the distraction of the text. Her lecture today was about unusual sexual penchants – how wonderfully ironic. It was not unusual for abusers to begin by asserting dominance in the bedroom with sexual violence. It was only a matter of time before this authority would be expressed out of the bedroom with physical violence. That was _great_ news. This adverse and disturbing revelation rattled her nerves even more than they already were from last night. In between classes, she texted him back. Since her next class did not start until 11:30, she skipped it. She wanted to see him. She needed to see him.

"What's wrong?" Shuichi asked her as soon as he saw her.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?" she inquired, hoping her fake smile at least appeared sincere.

Shuichi scrutinized her carefully. It was obvious she was lying. Her plastic smile could not take away the sadness in her eyes. It was also apparent she was not going to tell him the real reason she was upset.

"Where would you like to eat?" he queried, taking her hand in his. She was freezing cold.

"Anywhere. It doesn't matter," she answered, enjoying the warmth his hand was imparting to hers.

The temperature of her hand mirrored the state of her heart at the present time – frozen and unfeeling. Although the sexual encounter had been somewhat exciting at the time, in retrospect it was just plain creepy and bizarre. The lecture during her first class had not made her feel any better either. She meekly followed Shuichi as he led her inside a little restaurant to a corner booth. It was warm in the building, but she was glad when he sat beside her to hold her close to his body. Right now she trusted this stranger more than she trusted the man she had known for a year and a half. Her body began to thaw but her emotions remained cold and numb.

"Since I already know you have a boyfriend, there's something I should tell you. I was in a very serious relationship. We were discussing getting married. We agreed it might be best if we take a break for a while to see how things go. You know, to kind of test our feelings and see if they're real," he explained, a sick feeling invading his gut when her body stiffened under his arm.

"Oh, I see. Well, I suppose we're on common ground then. We're both in relationships that we're not sure where they are going. We can still be friends right?" She offered a feeble smile that faltered quickly.

"Yeah. Sure. We both need someone right now just to talk with and relax with. So it can't be bad, right?" He reached out, placing his hand against her cheek. "It's always good to have a friend."

~\..'../~

* * *

Adila was gazing out of the window tracing the rivulet of rain with her finger that snaked its way down the outside of the glass. Her books lay spread out on the coffee table where she had been trying to study. Unable to concentrate, she had abandoned her attempt to prepare for finals so she could stare at the rain and feel sorry for herself. It was not like her to engage in a pity party but even strong people feel weak sometimes. She had allowed herself to become fragile by falling in love, by learning to depend on another person… by surrendering part of herself to him.

Teru was supposed to be here. However, he was not because he had been called in to work to assist with researching cases for statutes on a present high profile murder case that had been dumped on the firm. She was happy that he had made enough of an impression that they would rely on an intern to help with something so important. But it did not take away her anger for how much it was keeping him away from her especially when she needed him. He seemed to be putting in more and more hours. The extra money he was bringing home was good; more money was always a good thing.

Nevertheless, something had changed in their relationship and not for the better. _A ghost_. Adila felt like a ghost in Teru's presence - transparent, invisible, and nonexistent. He barely talked to her and never touched her. The end of the semester was drawing to a close. There was only one more of week school then two weeks after that it would be Christmas. She wanted to go home for Christmas. Preferably without him.

What would he do when he found out she had a special friend? She quivered from the thought, remembering her consequences last time. Adila would have to make sure he did not find out. She and Shuichi had done nothing but talk so far. However, she had already experienced drastic change in one relationship. Who could say she would not experience it in the other?

Adila grabbed her coat and walked to the door. "I'm going out!" she yelled into the empty apartment, tears stinging her eyes when her own voice echoed back to her. "Oh, I forgot. There's no one here to care anymore."

...

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Shuichi asked when he answered the door.

"I know I should have called and I'm sorry, but – " Her words halted when she dissolved into tears.

He gently took her by the arm and pulled her in the door. He held her close, pulling her hair away from her neck. The scent of her golden skin was like cinnamon and chocolate, making him feel dizzy momentarily. This was a mistake. He should not be so close to her. She was upset. When women are troubled and seek the comfort of a man things happen.

Adila reached up to touch his face while she kept her cheek pressed against the scratchy fabric of his crisp white dress shirt. She guessed he had not been home from work very long because he still had his suit jacket on. Her fingers lay against his lips, and she sighed when he puckered and kissed her fingertips. Turning her face up, her eyes met his and her fingers were swiftly replaced with her lips when he bent to cover them with his. She made a sound like a high pitched squeak when their lips pressed together. They had just been platonic friends. Although the temptation had teased them from time to time to kiss, they had resisted until this moment. She yielded to him completely, not caring where this led to and not even considering it would only make her heart hurt worse.

"Lala," he whispered, using his nickname for her.

Adila smiled up at him because she liked it when he called her that. Propelling herself up onto her toes, she pushed her lips against his for another kiss. She stared at him in confusion when he wrenched his lips from hers and backed away. Her muddled brain could not comprehend why he would push her away.

"Lala, I'm going to ask my girlfriend to marry me at Christmas," he blurted, bracing for a feminine outburst of anger and tears.

"Well, I suppose we should say good-bye in a special way then," she suggested, throwing herself into his arms and kissing him with brute force.

Some offers a man cannot say no to and this was one of them. He pushed her backwards while kissing her, causing both of them to stumble slightly. He planted his hands firmly on her behind when she wrapped her arms and legs around his body so he could carry her wherever he wanted while she discovered the far reaches of his mouth with her tongue.

Adila shrieked when he bumped into the counter, jamming her against it as he attempted to move past it. Her giggle was muffled by his lips being pressed against hers. The pain in her back did not faze her and remained unnoticed. She unhinged her legs from around his waist to stand up so he would not have to hold her up. Wiggling out of her trench coat, she kept her lips in contact with his. Her lips reluctantly released his and her arms raised obediently when he pushed her super soft angora sweater up her body to remove it. She could not wait to get her fingers into that amazing hair of his and was stunned by how fine and soft it felt against her fingers.

"I really like your hair," she commented after running her fingers through it a few times. Her hands moved to take off his tie while he unbuttoned his white dress shirt. His jacket was already in a heap on the floor around their feet with her coat and sweater.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, his dark brown almost black eyes holding hers.

"Don't you?" she questioned, sliding her hand over the bulge in his pants that told her he most certainly did want to do this.

Shuichi did not say a word but clamped his mouth over hers and thrust his tongue between her lips. If the rigid need below his waist had not expressed his true desire that kiss sure would have. He rhythmically stroked her tongue with his in a way that made her wish he would stroke the inside of her. His shaking hands unbuttoned her jeans and slid down the zipper.

Adila held onto him and pressed her lips against his neck to quiet her moans as he slipped his hand inside her panties and carefully slid two of his fingers into her yearning body. Her knees buckled from the pleasure, and she held onto him tightly to keep from falling. When the strength had returned to her body, she removed her arms from around him so she could shimmy out of her tight jeans. Her fingers went to his pants and deftly unbuttoned and unzipped them. She had quite a bit of experience removing dress pants thanks to Teru always wearing them. Teru – that was a face she pushed quickly from her mind. Instead, she concentrated on the handsome face in front of her now, squealing when he picked her up and put her on the bar stool behind her.

"You make all kinds of noise don't you?" he asked, positioning himself between her legs that she had spread wide for him.

"Just wait," she warned him, using his lips to muffle her cry of pleasure as he pushed into her.

One hand held on to the back of his neck while she braced herself against the flat barstool with the other. Her eyes studied his face that was covered by an expression of pure bliss that softened his hard, masculine features. She bit her lower lip, keeping her yelps down to low grunts of satisfaction. He was big – bigger than Teru. She had never been left unsatisfied with her boyfriend, when they still had sex, but right now she was being filled width and depth wise in a way that she had not been before. Her fingertips stroked his cheek, coaxing his eyes open.

"Ichi, look at me," she pleaded, kissing him briefly. "Make love to me. Not her."

Shuichi bit his lower lip while a bright pink color spread across the tops of his cheeks. How did she know what he had been thinking? Oh, yeah. One day it would be her job to get into people's minds and prowl around to figure out what they are thinking in addition to what makes them tick. She was off to a wonderful start. He pressed his lips to hers, holding her by the neck like she was him. It was intimate but at the same time seemed to express without words, "You're mine in this moment, but I will let go when the time comes."

"Lala," he moaned, holding her gaze although he wanted to close his eyes to feel the pleasure of her body unhindered by the sense of sight.

"Close your eyes," she whispered, pulling him close to her. "Say my name."

"Adila," he murmured in her ear, thrusting his hands into her golden brown hair. He stood still, savoring the feeling of her wonderful body riding along his length, pushing forward and drawing back to do it all over again.

"Shuichi!" she exclaimed, pushing herself at him faster as the pleasure matured into ecstasy. She shouted his name again when he hooked his arms under knees and held her to thrust into her with short, forceful strokes.

Shuichi was close to his end when he opened his eyes to look at the magnificent woman he was making love to, who was causing so much incredible pleasure to seize his body. He almost hurt he wanted to come so badly but he wanted her to climax first.

Adila knew what he was waiting for so she abandoned herself to that ultimate in sexual gratification and allowed the orgasm to sweep over her. She slowly raised her eyelids to look at him.

"Your turn," she told him, still trembling from her climax.

She enclosed his body with her arms and legs as he pushed into her a few more times before unleashing the powerful orgasm he had been holding back. She kissed his neck as he shuddered and jerked from aftershocks of the intense culmination of satisfying sex. A smile turned her lips up at the corners as he held her tightly and stroked her hair.

All along this relationship had been their special little secret. It had to be kept tightly under wraps always despite the fact it was ending. Considering both of their career choices, keeping a secret would not be a problem for them. They had each been the other's unspoken desire for as long as necessary. They had each been to the other a friend and confidante and so much more. The time for good-bye had come.

"Ichi," Adila murmured, kissing his lips.

"Do you regret it, Lala?" he asked, kissing her forehead.

"I'll never regret anything with you."

...

* * *

Adila was already in bed when Teru arrived home after midnight. She concentrated on remaining relaxed as he walked into the room. Listening to him going through his nightly bedtime routine, she could almost count the minutes before his butt would hit the bed. Promptly at 12:12 he was in the bed. Twelve minutes – never a minute more or less. She would swear sometimes he scheduled and timed his bowel movements as well. She sighed loudly in unspoken frustration and snuggled into her pillow for comfort. How had she managed to deal with his many quirks and just plain weirdness this long? The scent of something flowery drifted to her nose. Perfume. She smiled. So he has been with another woman. At least they were playing on a level field at this time. Little bastard. She had no idea he had it in him to do something like that.

"Where were you tonight?" he questioned her suddenly.

Adila flinched from the unexpected inquiry. She did not want to talk him. That defeated her whole purpose for going to bed despite the fact she could not sleep.

"I had to take time think," she answered, purposely being vague. 'I had sex with another man, and I hate you,' had been the reply she wanted to give him. She had abstained from doing so because she feared what punishment he would allocate to her for such a coarse, ruthless comment.

"About what?" he pressed, keeping his back to her.

"Us," came her curt reply.

"Did you come to a conclusion?"

"Not yet."

"Let me know when you do," he responded frigidly.

Her mind was off and running like a wild Mustang. She wanted to be free from this misery so she had to think. There was no way she would be getting any sleep tonight.

~\..'../~

* * *

"Mama."

Kalyani stiffened from the sound of her daughter's voice. She had already known it would be important because her daughter was calling at 2AM from Japan. Why wasn't the child asleep? Didn't she have finals? The tears and hurt in her daughter's voice was not surprising but no less alarming. Why else would she be awake and crying in the early morning? Resisting the temptation to say anything unnecessarily mean such as 'I knew this would happen' or the epic momism* 'I told you so', she heaved a loud sigh to calm herself. Thinking quickly to figure out what to do, she grabbed her purse to retrieve her credit card.

"Honey, I'll call you back in a minute."

Adila paced the living room nervously in the dark waiting for her mother to return her phone call. Her world had come crashing down on her at last. She was not worried about waking Teru because he was not here. He had not come home last night. He had been coming home later and later and last night he just did not even bother. She had called Shuichi but could not talk to him because he was with his new fiancée. That hurt because he had not waited for Christmas. He had barely waited three days after their little escapade to ask her. He had the courtesy (or the stupidity, she was not sure which) to text her the news right after he did it. How did he explain that? Did he lie to his wife-to-be and say he was letting his parents know or was he hiding in the stall of the bathroom of the restaurant? Dumbass. That was a great way to start a relationship.

The semester was over and it was almost Christmas. She wanted to come home – for good. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, for her to stay in Japan for anymore. Instead, she had created many reasons to run away.

Her phone rang and in her astonishment she nearly dropped it. "Mama!" she exclaimed.

"Baby, it's me," her daddy growled into the phone.

'Dammit, Mama! Why did you have to tell Daddy?!' she wanted to scream. The tears started all over, gushing from her eyes while she emitted great, gasping sobs.

"Da-Da-Daddy!" she wailed in true Daddy's girl fashion.

Even at her age, she would not be ashamed to admit she was still her Daddy's little girl. Besides, southern girls wear that as a badge of pride at any age. She would soon be back at her beloved home in the heart of Texas and away from this personal hell of her own making. Maybe that was what pissed her off the most: she had allowed it to happen to herself.

"Just pack what you really need and go to the airport. There's a plane ticket paid for and waiting for you. We'll send for the rest of your stuff later. Come home, Baby. I love you," he murmured, feeling as if his heart were being torn in two by the mournful bawling of his little girl.

"I love you too, Daddy," she wept into the phone before hanging up.

Adila took off the dragon ring and the bracelet, setting them on the night stand on Teru's side of the bed. She did not bother with a note. Teru was intelligent; he would figure it out. Packing one small backpack with a change of clothes and strict necessities, she was off to the airport. Taking one last look at the apartment, she said good-bye to the life she never thought she would be leaving, particularly not this way. A joyless chuckle passed her lips and rang through the apartment. After a year and a half, the dream had come to a close. Oh well, plans have changed again. She was becoming accustomed to the whole concept of change.

* * *

Author's Note: I have not forgotten they are together at the beginning of the story. Just hang of for the ride and be patient. It would be a boring story if drama did not pop up quite frequently.

*momism – those annoying things that all mothers say and we swear we will never say as mothers but inevitably do.

There were several short jumps in time in this chapter. All of this happened over a period of about three weeks.


	9. Return to Life

_Christmas Day, Rester Family Home, San Antonio, Texas_

Adila sat in the window seat of her bedroom staring out at the bright green pine trees covering the backyard. They were not called evergreens for nothing. Their dark grown shown brilliantly against the deep blue sky in the dazzling winter sun. White Christmases were a rare and almost nonexistent novelty here. It snowed in Japan. She missed it. Unfortunately, there were other things there that she did not miss. Teru had called and texted a few times. Even Shuichi had attempted to contact her. She ignored them both. Her father had talked to Teru once, and she almost felt sorry for the man on the other end of the call half way across the world. She would be receiving her clothes and other items in about a month. He offered to pay for all of the shipping fees, and she was more than happy to allow him to do so.

Adila had spent the last several days moping around the house, allowing herself time to grieve over the lost relationships as well as the lost dream. All she had done since she had been home was think and cry. Her head hurt constantly and so did her eyes. Today was the first day she had not shed a single tear. She wanted to be happy today. It was Christmas after all. She now felt adrift and disconnected, not sure what to do. Her Uncle Tony would be arriving in a few hours. She could talk to him about a job at the FBI office in Los Angeles and enroll in the spring semester of classes at UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles). She could pursue a double major in psychology and law with the heavier concentration in psychology, possibly continuing to receive a doctorate degree. Some of her plans had not changed.

"Come in," she responded to the soft knocking on the door without asking who it was. She knew it was her mother.

"How are you feeling?" Kalyani asked her daughter, handing her the steaming mug of her favorite homemade dark chocolate cocoa.

"I'm all right," she answered, giving her mother the brightest smile possible. It still felt forced and fake. "Thank you."

"I made it just for you with imported chocolate." She sat down in the window seat with her daughter. "I even made the marshmallows. It was really easy. We could – "

"No, Mama," she interrupted, placing her hand over her mother's. "Thank you for not saying I told you so."

"Oh." Kalyani never knew until now that sometimes saying nothing at all was more important than always having so called 'words of wisdom' to impart. Occasionally those wise words were just harsh statements that made the speaker feel better but could crush the spirit of the hearer. Cam had always told her that silence was the best course of action in some situations. Although she would never tell him he was right, she found his advice was correct.

Adila told her mother of the plans she had been mulling over in her head. She laughed at her mother when the woman sighed with resignation and asked her why she was so determined to leave home. Her mother should be happy really. At least this time she would still be within the United States and only two states away. In comparison to her last move and university location, she won't be far away at all.

"Hey, there are my two favorite girls!" Cam exclaimed, poking his blond head around the corner of the door. "Come on downstairs. The family is starting to arrive."

Adila was able to wear a genuine smile of joy as she went downstairs to greet the family. It was like a meeting of the gods on Mount Olympus. Everyone was tall, blond, and had finely chiseled physiques, including the wives and children. Besides, Uncle Tony, there was another brother who had flown in for the occasion with his family. Even the grandparents still looked incredibly fit and younger than their sixty something years in age. Adila and her mother were different from the rest of the family and looked like refugees who had been taken in by them. However, they were loved just as much as the other members and treated no differently. At least now she had the distraction of her big, noisy family to keep her occupied and busy.

...

* * *

Adila was sitting in the motionless swing on the back porch wrapped in a blanket to shut out the chill. She needed a moment to escape the clamor and activity of her family. The last year and a half had been pretty quiet for her, and she was not accustomed being in the middle of this much commotion for an extended length of time.

"Did you need to talk to me?" her Uncle Anthony inquired, sitting down beside her on the swing.

Adila looked at him, silently regarding him for a moment. He looked exactly like her father with the exception of being several inches taller and a little less wide. Surprisingly, he was actually the younger brother by about five years. She had always speculated what his life was like working for the FBI. He would tell the family his stories sometimes. It was hard to tell which parts he made up and which were real. He loved a good story as most Texans do and had the talent for embellishing when necessary.

"Could you get me a job at your field office? I also want to start back to university when the next semester begins. I still want to be a criminal profiler and psychologist," she gushed, watching a slow smile spread across his face.

"I can help you with all of those," he answered, pushing off with his foot to set the swing into motion. "Are you sure you don't want to take a break for at least a semester? You could start during the summer when the campus is a little less crowded. It would also give you time to get over Te-"

"I'm over it!" she barked like a rabid dog. She did not want to hear that name. Offering him a shy smile and a blush in apology, she started talking in a much calmer voice. "I'm over it. I'm ready to get on with my life. The sooner I get back to accomplishing my goals the faster I can forget."

"You are your mother's child. You would rather work through the pain and overlook it than just grieve and truly release it, wouldn't you? Don't run from it too hard or it will catch up with you someday," he warned her, reminding her even more of her father. To be single and have no children, he was incredibly wise.

'I'm not running,' she thought to herself stubbornly as she watched him walk back into the house. For a moment the dull roar of the family talking and giggling met her ears. When he closed the glass sliding door behind him the sound was gone. Is everything in life so temporary? Not meant to last but a short time, only to be enjoyed for a split second.

Adila sighed, allowing it to devolve into a growl directed at herself. It was time to suck it up and get over it. How could she have been stupid enough to think it would last forever? Her eyes focused on a white speck falling from the sky. More joined it in the air, reminding her of the dandelion fluff of summer that was sometimes carried on the hot breeze. A cold wind stung her cheeks making her notice the sudden drop in temperature that had transpired. She watched as the air filled with the white specks that began gathering on the ground. It was going to be white Christmas in Texas this year. Well, miracles still do happen.

~\..'../~

* * *

_Three months later, 3rd Floor of FBI Field Office, Los Angeles, California_

"Gofer!" a man yelled, slapping her on the behind as she walked by.

How Adila hated him. Unfortunately she was indeed the resident servant since she was a newbie and a part timer. Gofer – as in 'go for a cup of coffee,' 'go for this file,' or 'go for whatever I tell you to go for.' She tended to a floor full of overgrown babies who suddenly could not do a damn thing for themselves since she arrived. It astonished her that none of them had asked her to assist them in the bathroom with things. Looking back at the man who had just given her the flirty smack on the butt, she was sure he would be the most likely candidate to do just that.

"Hey, look guys, we've got another one!" someone bellowed when a pretty woman about Adila's age appeared.

Adila glanced up from the to-do list they had made for her that day to see a young woman with black hair and dark brown eyes standing beside her Uncle. She walked to them after he beckoned her over with a wave of his hand.

"Adila, this Naomi Misora. She is starting today as a Gofer, uh, I-I mean as an intern and administrative assistant like you. She is going to be one of our field investigators. You should get to know each other. I think you will find you have a lot in common," he said, giving them both a winning smile before leaving them alone.

"I'm ignoring that derogatory use of Gofer. You should be ashamed," Adila rebuked him before he was able to run away. "By the way, Jensen slapped me on the ass again."

"Oh, really?" Uncle Tony asked, his blue eyes glittering devilishly. "I'll see to it that he gets another _special_ assignment."

The last time Agent Jensen touched her inappropriately, he was sent to guard the men's bathrooms at the Metro Red Line, the LA subway, when they were searching for a serial rapist who had been lurking there for years. It actually wound up working his favor because he nabbed the guy and became a hero. This time Anthony was determined to find him assignment that would not end up in victory and hopefully quite a bit of humiliation. He turned on his heel and purposefully strode away from the females without a good-bye.

"Hi, Naomi! Nice to meet you. That's my Uncle. He will look out for us," she explained when Naomi only stared at her in wide eyed shock.

"Oh," the stunned woman replied.

"Be careful of that guy over there," she warned, pointing to the black haired lecher at the corner desk.

Jensen waved pleasantly when he saw them both looking at him. Adila stuck her tongue out at him. He rewarded her with a nasty gesture of sticking his fingers in a v over his mouth and licking between them suggestively.

"Ewww! Gross!" Naomi muttered, grimacing with disgust.

"See what I mean. The rest of the guys aren't so bad, but he's terrible. Stay as far away from him as you can. I'll try to handle him as much as possible," she offered, looking back at her list of files they wanted her to retrieve. "Come on, I'll show you the file room."

"Whoa!" Naomi gasped when they walked into the sprawling area.

It was a massive room dedicated to the floor to ceiling metal filing cabinets that appeared to be shelves with doors. They slid on metal tracks anchored to the floor and ceiling and moved back and forth with the wheels on the end. The wheel that moved them looked the steering wheel of an old fashioned ship. Naomi watched with fascination as Adila gripped one of the knobs and spun the wheel as if she were on a game show. The cabinet slowly moved away from the one beside it, allowing them enough room to walk between the metal shelves.

"Are you afraid of getting crushed between them?" she asked suddenly while Adila searched for a file.

"No. The thought had never occurred to me really. I'm the only one who ever comes in here so I'm not really worried about it," she said, handing the file to Naomi and moving further down to find the next one.

"How much more schooling do you have left?" she inquired, reaching for the file when it was handed to her.

"About two years. I'm going straight through the summers so I can obtain my master's degree earlier so I can continue on with my doctorate in psychology. Criminals have always fascinated me. I wonder why they do the things they do, what caused them to be that way...those kinds of questions. It's also quite amazing how you can form a picture of a person's personality by how they do things, what they like...heck even their handwriting offers clues to what a mess their psyche really is. It's possible to build a personality profile of an unknown murderer just taking into account how he kills his victims. It's amazing really and – " She paused when she saw the glazed over look in Naomi's eyes. "And I'm boring the crap out of you. I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's okay really. I'm just a little overwhelmed in general since it is my first day. In two years I'll be an agent. I'm really excited and looking forward to it. This has been a long time dream of mine," she gushed with enthusiasm.

"Yeah. I know what you mean," Adila returned because she knew exactly how her colleague felt.

The young women continued to talk as they searched for the files on the long list. The conversation eventually got around to complaining about their present living arrangements. Both of them were living on campus in dorms and neither one was pleased about it. They discussed the idea of searching for an apartment together and decided that would be a more positive solution than living in the student housing where they have to deal with constant racket and nonsense. Noisy neighbors would be bearable in comparison to the constant annoying issues of parties at all hours of the day and night, a roommate that likes to have sex and a lot of it, and having to share a communal bathroom in the coed dorm. Those nightmares would make thunderous footsteps overhead or the next door neighbor's radio being up too loud seem like no big deal and not even worth complaining about.

They found a nice two bedroom apartment straddling the border between a good and not so good neighborhood. Since the area was a little questionable that made the rent for the apartment affordable so they took it. Soon after they moved in, Adila's parents arrived with a housewarming gift of a big basket of food. Both women were glad to see it. There was not much money left over for food after the bills were paid. Her parents even took them out for dinner during their visit.

"Adila," her father called to her after they returned to the apartment, satisfied from a large meal.

Adila immediately developed a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She could hear a difference in the tone of his voice that made dread and sadness invade her consciousness. Her eyes fell on the large manila envelope that her mother pulled out of her purse and handed to her father.

"What is it?" she asked, retreating to the privacy of her bedroom. It was obvious that this was a delicate matter and required seclusion. She was stunned that her mother had chosen to stay in the living room with Naomi.

"Just open it," he said, handing her the envelope.

Adila stared at the name and return address on the front of the envelope. Teru Mikami. He was still living in the same apartment. After taking a few slow deep breaths, she opened the envelope. It contained her jade juzu bead bracelet, the dragon ring, and a three page letter. In the beginning of the letter, he was simply filling her in how he was doing with classes and how his job at the law firm was going. He had written about their past, reminding her of some of their more intimate moments and how they had loved each other. The declarations of love and begging her to come back followed after that. The last paragraph of the letter was somewhat threatening and frightening.

_You will be mine again someday. I completely believe in providence and fate which have both determined that you are mine. You are my goddess and the love of my life. You were sent to me by God himself to be my wife. I have not let go of that fact any more than I have let go of you. Be ready my love because one day we will be together again._

Adila shivered and threw everything on the floor as if she had been holding a snake in her hands. Was that meant to be a threat or a promise? It distinctly felt like both, and it terrified her. She covered her mouth to keep from crying out when her father stooped to pick up the items. Her eyes observed him cautiously as he curiously looked at the ring and bracelet before laying them on her dresser.

"No! Don't read that!" she yelled, lunging to snatch the letter out of his hands when looked down at it.

Her father held the letter up, way up, above his head where she had no hope of reaching it. "I think I should, Adila. You're pale and look ready to faint. I want to know what the bastard said."

Helplessly, she watched as her father read the very personal letter. She was not sure if his face reddened out of anger or embarrassment but most likely both. Turning her back on him, she could not watch any longer as he got to the last page.

"I'll have your Uncle take care of this problem," he murmured, the fury evident in his slightly trembling voice as he fought for control.

"No. Please don't. He's only doing something stupid out of love. He would never hurt me," she said, not really believing the words as she spoke them.

"Adila, I –"

"Dad, I'm a grown up. You said it yourself, my life is my own and it's up to me now. Mistakes and all, whatever I choose to do, the decisions are mine to make. I love you, Dad and I'll always be your little girl, but…" Her words faltered when the tears came. "But it's my life and you can't always protect me no matter how much you want to."

Cam released a defeated sigh. She was right. He and her uncle would not always be there save her and she would have to stand on her own two feet eventually. It was better that she be prepared to fight rather than be at a disadvantage and rely on a hero to save her.

"All right. Just be careful and be smart. Learn to take care of yourself."

"I will. I have three really great teachers in you, Mama, and Uncle Tony. I'll be fine."

_'Be ready my love because one day we will be together again.'_The last line of the letter bounced around in her skull. Her temples throbbed with the oncoming headache from the tension in her neck muscles. She had learned to take life as it comes and that not all possibilities can be planned for or prepared for. What could possibly lay in store for her? It was up to providence and fate now. A cold chill ran through her body from thinking about his words. Teru would show back up in her life one day, she was sure of it even before his thinly veiled threat. She would heed his warning and be ready when it happened.


	10. The Big Assignment

_Three years later, 4__th__ Floor Hallway, FBI Field Office, Los Angeles, California_

"Adila!" Naomi yelled from the elevators. Everyone in the long expansive hallway stopped and stared but neither woman cared. She ran toward her best friend, hugging her tightly. "It's happened! It's finally happened!"

Adila waited for her friend to tell her what exactly had happened. She would be lying if she said she were not jealous because Naomi had been a full-fledged agent for almost a year now. She still had one year before she earned her doctorate in psychology; her education had come down to field work and writing a thesis to earn her title. Her job had switched from being an errand girl to working for the lead agent in charge of investigating serial killers. She was already working in her field and could actually skip the doctorate degree but she had come too far and worked too hard to stop now. She had accomplished in five years what it takes others eight years to achieve. That fact in itself was a source of great pride to her.

"You're killing me. Tell me already!" she exclaimed happily, not understanding why Naomi was laughing at her so boisterously.

"Seriously? You didn't hear your own words?" she snickered, holding her aching belly.

'_You're killing me.' _And Adila works in the department that specifically investigates murderers. "Oh, yeah. That is funny," she mumbled, offering a pathetic excuse for a chuckle.

"God, Adila, you need a boyfriend or a one night stand. Your sense of humor has really gone to crap. You need to relax," her friend muttered, forgetting her good news momentarily.

Easy for Naomi to say since she had just started dating the very handsome fellow agent named Raye Penber. Adila had purposely chosen to stay away from men, especially colleagues. It was not for lack of offers, but for a plain lack of interest. She was too busy and too focused on her future to worry about men. If only she had maintained that focus in Japan, who knows where she might be today. Her eyes looked at her left hand that was decorated with the ring and the jade bracelet. She had begun wearing them again a month after her father had given them to her. How could she still think about him after all this time? How could she still love him? Sometimes she pondered the possibility that she might be more tetched in the head* than Teru.

"Okay. Are you going to tell me your good news or am I going to have to beat it out of you?" Adila asked with a genuine giggle.

"I just got my first _real_ big case!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh, congratulations! You can be a _real_ agent now!" she rejoined with evident sarcasm.

"Oh, ha ha ha! Gosh, you need a boyfriend," Naomi snapped.

'I'm doing just fine without one,' Adila thought to herself with a self-satisfied grin on her face.

"You know what the best part is? The director approved my request to bring you along as an observer so you can begin writing your thesis," she told her friend, disappointed when an excited scream never came.

"That's wonderful, Naomi. Thank you so much," she rejoined, sincerely but in a much understated manner.

Naomi studied her friend thoughtfully. She had noticed Adila becoming quieter and more reserved over the last few months. The marked difference came when she began receiving more letters more frequently from that guy in Japan. Adila always burned the letters afterward so she had not been able to read any of them. She still did not understand why she gave him her present address. At first she had feared the psycho would appear on the doorstep. After a year passed and that never happened, she let it go. But what was he saying to Adila? What was in those letters? Hadn't he ever heard of email? An email account would be easy to hack, and she could find out what his letters contained.

Adila could almost see the wheels turning in Naomi's head, and she knew her friend was analyzing her. It was challenging having a relationship, even a friendship, with another agent because they sometimes treated each other like an assignment to be investigated. That reason was one of the many on her list as to why she would never get involved with a fellow agent. She was glad when Naomi allowed the excitement of her first major assignment overtake her again. Pretending to listen while her friend babbled on about the details, her mind was thinking about a certain black haired man far across the ocean. She heard bits and pieces of Naomi's exposition that included Beyond Birthday, killed three people, and meeting with lead detective tomorrow.

"I want you to come with me of course," Naomi said with finality.

"Of course," Adila repeated breaking free from her mental trip down a rabbit trail. "Wait, what?"

"Oh, Adila, weren't you listening?"

Adila simply smiled which only amplified her chagrin instead of hiding it.

"All right," sighed Naomi, grabbing her friend's arm to walk with her. "I'll start over, but I'll begin from the end. This detective is supposed to be the _world's greatest_ yet no one knows anything about him, not even what he looks like. He's working on this serial murder case that began when the LAPD received this weird crossword puzzle."

Adila's ear perked up at the mention of serial killer. This would indeed be perfect for her thesis. 'Thank you, Naomi,' she thought silently. She smiled to herself thinking how lucky she was to have guardian angels everywhere.

~\..'../~

* * *

Adila and Naomi nervously straightened their already impeccable clothes as the elevator doors opened. They paused outside of the hotel room door to check each other's make-up. While they were both fixing mascara smudges and stray eyeliner on each other's face, the door opened. A man who seemed to be around the same age as them stood there staring at them. It looked like he was wearing thick black eyeliner and white powder. They both had to fight the urge to reach out to his face to check if he really was wearing makeup. He stood slightly hunched over in a white long sleeved t-shirt and jeans that were too big for him. He continued to ogle them inquisitively with his huge dark eyes that were nearly buried under a thick mop of black hair.

"I don't recall hiring any entertainment," he said, chewing on his thumb as if he were trying to remember. "Hey, Watari!"

"Excuse me, we're not _hired_ _helpers_," Naomi informed him emphasizing the last words so he would not misunderstand. "We are the agents from the FBI."

"Oh, I see. Interesting," he remarked broodingly, looking each woman up and down slowly in turn.

"Are you going to make us stand out here all day while you eye us like something to eat?" Adila demanded, getting annoyed by the excessively thorough visual examination.

"I would never eat you," he shot back with a wicked smirk. Turning his back on them, he added, "You're nowhere near sweet enough for me to eat."

"Son of a –" Adila stopped abruptly when her friend grabbed her raised fist.

"Don't make me regret bringing you," Naomi hissed with a caustic, warning expression in her brown eyes.

Adila snatched her wrist out of her friend's tight grip and straightened her suit jacket. She readjusted the position of the strap on her shoulder of the massive purse that did double duty as a briefcase. It was pretty heavy considering it contained a laptop, a small hand held recorder, notebooks, pens and all of her other usual crap that she typically never needed.

"Naomi Misora, correct?" the smart mouth detective queried, offering them a seat on the couch.

"That is correct. This is my fellow agent, Adila Sharvani. I hope it is all right that I have brought her with me. She is a member of the serial murderers investigation unit," she told him, taking a seat in the chair at the end of the table.

Adila nodded her head without offering an obligatory smile. She plopped down in the exact middle of the couch, hoping that would force him to take the other chair as his seat. Not this guy; he was special. Instead he perched right next to her like a big black and white bird. She leaned to the side to distance herself when he shoved his face close to hers, peering at her questioningly with his enormous unblinking eyes that appeared to be black because of his completely dilated pupils.

"Are you here to investigate the case or me?" she asked, daring to turn to face him. She squeaked when she came nose to nose to with him.

"You for now. You're quite fascinating. You're absolutely beautiful but so bitchy. Why is that?" he probed in a serious way.

"Are you kidding me?" She blinked and edged away from him on the couch.

"Oh, I never joke. I don't have a sense of humor," he said, leering widely at her. Moving closer, he touched her face with his fingertips.

"You're about to _not_ have something else if you don't get your damn hand off of me," she warned threateningly, inclining toward him this time.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, standing up quickly. "It's a man. Something happened between you and a man so now you hate all men."

"Come up with that all by yourself, did ya? Congratulations, Sherlock," she retorted.

"Sherlock?" He turned to scrutinize her inquiringly with his already big eyes that were somehow opened even wider.

OH MY GOD! Why don't detectives anywhere in the world get that joke?! Adila breathed a sigh of relief when he alighted on the other chair instead of sitting back down beside her. She began pulling items out of her purse to set up a work area on the coffee table.

"What is all this? Who are you exactly?" he asked pointedly.

"These are things I need to do my job. I've already told you who I am. Who are you?" she queried, just realizing he had not told them his name, although she guessed that Naomi already knew his name.

"You can call me L."

"L?" She glared at him incredulously.

"Yes, L," he repeated.

"Just a single letter?"

"Are you always this annoying?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

L groaned. He had not anticipated but one FBI agent. He certainly had not planned on this smart aleck, foul tempered woman who was setting up her office in the living room of his hotel suite.

"Is it really necessary that _she_ is here?" he asked Naomi, pointing at Adila. Both women were surprised he had used the word she instead of thing by the tone voice with which he had said it.

"I'm sorry. I will have a talk with my assistant," Naomi said with a bit of condescension. She reached over and squeezed her friend's wrist to warn her to rein in herself a tad. "She's really not a bad person. She just needs an attitude adjustment sometimes."

Adila took a deep breath and decided Naomi was right. She did need to curb her bad temper. She was a grown up and a professional; it was imperative that she be both more than ever at this present time. There was no reason for her to mess up a major opportunity for the both of them. Keeping her trap shut like a good girl, she turned on the recorder while she listened and typed as they talked. She was transcribing their conversation as they spoke for the most part. Amazingly enough, she was able to retain her sharp comments when he told her the computer, the recorder, and all of the notes must remain within the hotel suite during the investigation.

Adila occupied herself by going over and over her notes while waiting for Naomi to finish her not-so-brief briefing with the bizarre but brilliant detective. She stood up to stretch her back and saw the folders of information sitting on the table in the corner. Being an investigator, she was naturally nosey and went to dig through the files. Before long she had crime scene photos, which she regretted finding, spread across the table while she scanned over the police reports connected to them. Grabbing her notebook, she started sorting through the information on the victims. What the hell are Naomi and L talking about it? It's been hours. Forgetting about the other two, she dove off to swim in the deep end of the pool of data to form a profile on this psychopath.

No certain amount of days passed between the murders, the victims were male and female, there was no certain age since the oldest victim was forty-four and the youngest thirteen, no physical attributes in common: nothing linked the victims. Taking several deep breaths to steel her intestinal fortitude, she studied the murder scene photos and the photos of the victims. They all died by different methods, each murder growing more violent and bloody. This was an angry man. What is the common thread here? The killer seems as if he was experimenting, testing, and trying things. Curiosity. He was enjoying this and having the time of his life. A game. This was a game to him. The killer seemed childish and needy. He was trying to get someone's attention. Maybe the attention of the world's greatest detective specifically was what he wanted.

"What are you thinking?" L asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Adila was too deep in thought to flinch from his voice or his touch. She quickly spewed out her contemplations as if she were a recording while rifling through her notes. Pointing to the pictures, she explained why she drew some conclusions.

"What makes you think it's a man?" he questioned her.

"The first victim was a forty four year old man. Judging by these photos he was not a small man either." Grabbing the police report she called out his statistics of six feet and two hundred pounds. "Even women that are crazy would have a hard time controlling this guy especially if they wanted to kill him. It took a lot of strength which was fueled by anger and just plain insanity to cause these kinds of traumatic injuries on these victims. "

The man had been strangled almost to the point of decapitation with pure brute force. The thirteen year old child had received a single strike from a blunt object that caved in her skull and crushed her face. The force was so great it even squashed the eyeballs. Sick bastard. The third victim had her arm and leg cut off after she had been beaten, stabbed, and finally strangled. The last victim had been kept alive for a while and tortured, showing how out of bounds his curiosity and cruelty had truly become.

Adila shivered without meaning to, gathering up the photos and stuffing them in their rightful folders to hide them from her sight. She felt his skinny arms go around her, and she was too stunned to move at first. Her body writhed a bit within the prison of his arms hoping he would get the hint to let her go. She felt uncomfortable but it was not entirely unpleasant being in a man's arms again; even if it was the strange detective.

"What else are you thinking? There's something you're not telling me," he said, refusing to let her go no matter how much she wiggled.

"It's a cry for attention. The killer wants to be acknowledged by you," she explained, turning in his arms to look at him. She was nose to nose with him again. He had a serious disdain for personal space and seemed to enjoy making people uncomfortable. "This is personal, L. I believe the murderer is someone who knows you. He is flaunting this in your face as if to dare you to catch him. He _wants _you to catch him. He's playing a game with you."

"I see," he murmured, dropping his arms. He backed away from her, his slouch deepening as he chewed on his thumb and paced silently across the carpet in his bare feet.

"Where's Naomi?" she asked, doubting he had heard her when he did not answer or react to her voice.

"Oh, she left two hours ago," he answered off handedly after a long pause.

"WHAT?!" Adila shrieked, grabbing her jacket and purse. She was stomping to the door when he moved in front of her to block her way.

"It's after midnight. It's not safe for you to leave here. Just stay," he ordered her more than requested.

"Excuse me?"

"Stay. You'll be safe here. Do I look dangerous to you?"

Adila sighed noisily turning away from him. He really did not want her to answer that question honestly. Carelessly throwing her purse and coat into the chair, she plopped down on the couch. Her eyes followed him as he hurriedly exited the room. He moved like a ghost, swiftly and silently. His pale skin and white shirt only added to that semblance.

"Here," he declared upon reentering the room.

Adila flinched when a soft pile of white cloth hit her in the face. She pulled it off her head, unfolding it to see it was a white shirt like the one he was wearing. He was not one for variety in his wardrobe apparently. She could only surmise this was just one more item on long list of peculiarities he exhibited.

"You can sleep in the second bedroom. I don't sleep," he informed her.

Oh, so it's insomnia and not eyeliner. Adila got the distinct impression she had just been ordered to bed. Too exhausted to argue and too disturbed to stay awake any longer, she acquiesced with a nod and bow after standing up. She tossed the t-shirt over her arm, unbuttoning her shirt on the way to the bedroom.

"By the way, just to be completely truthful with you, there is a camera in there," he warned her.

Why the hell did he need a camera in the bedroom? Had he been planning on guests? Adila could only imagine. She did not bother to ask why a camera was necessary because she did not really want to know. There was already enough disconcerting information crawling around in her brain.

"Creep," she muttered, slamming the door behind her. She would have to thank Naomi for this in a very special way. She knew without a doubt that her _friend_had done this to her entirely on purpose.

* * *

*Tetched in the head – Crazy

Note for the manga/anime police: Yes, L is a bit OOC. It's completely intentional I assure you. I only included the basic details of the BB murder case. I did not recreate the same extenuating circumstances or details surrounding the case because they are just not important to this story. Just a reminder, this is an alternate universe story. This story is not about the BB murders and is completely different.

Teru will be back in a few more chapters. Just enjoy the trip.


	11. Dream Investigation

_Adila, Adila, Adila… _

The voice kept calling her name from somewhere far away. It echoed through her brain in a breathy, phantom like voice that was unfamiliar but at the same time her heart beat faster with recognition. She was cold and her body began to shiver. The frigid tentacles of fear penetrated her chest and gripped her heart, squeezing until it was hard for her to breathe.

Warm hands slid up her chilled arms which made her feel that much colder. The long, delicate fingers of the soft hands splayed across her shoulders, massaging momentarily before they moved to her neck.

"Adila," the voice called, closer this time, whispering in her ear.

Silky hair touched her face, tickling her nose. She tried to open her eyes but nothing happened. Was she blind or was it too dark? Trying to move her arms to touch the man, she was unable to move. What was happening to her?

"I'm coming for you."

"Teru," she gasped, just before the fingers squeezed her neck.

Adila screamed and sat up in the bed. Throwing back the covers in annoyance, she got up. It was time to give up on getting any sleep. That was the third nightmare tonight. The first two bad dreams had been about the victims of the serial killer. Her imagination had filled in all the gaps, replaying the grisly crimes in the theater of her mind thereby giving her a front row seat to a horror movie she did not want to see. She had not forgotten she was wearing only her panties and L's t-shirt when she stalked out of the bedroom to the tiny kitchen area for a glass of water. What was the point in trying to hide? L had a camera in the bedroom so he had already seen more than she would be showing him right now.

Adila began searching through the cabinets to find pain medication, sleeping pills, chamomile tea – a hammer – anything to relax her. With any luck, she could find something that would knock her out and put her to sleep for several hours. So far she had been unsuccessful at sleeping more than an hour or two and most of that was destroyed by a nightmare.

"Dammit," she grumbled, realizing with dismay that luck was not on her side. She found absolutely nothing.

"What do you keep dreaming about?" L inquired, standing right behind her.

"AHHHH! OHMYGOD!" she screamed, turning around and jumping back into the cabinet when she was nearly nose to nose with him. How typical. Damn, he was a scary individual. Her nerves were already on edge and his brand of strangeness was not something she needed right now. In addition to being exhausted and terrified, he had added physical pain to her list of ills with an oncoming headache and soreness in her back and butt hurt from bumping the counter and drawer handles.

L moved closer to her, holding her eyes with his intensely direct gaze. He reached past her into the cabinet that she had left open to retrieve something. Pushing the bottle into her hand, he did not step back from her.

"Tell me your nightmares," he said, putting his hands on her jaw to hold her face. His eyes seemed to grow more penetrating as if he was trying to read her mind.

'You, for starters, are a nightmare,' she almost told him. Instead she was breathless and unable to speak as her chest rose and fell heavily to bring air into her lungs. Her nipples hardened as they grazed his solid chest. Whether it was bone or muscle under that shirt she was not sure, but her body liked the closeness of his male form. This guy was freaking her out on many levels. Since she could not talk, she pressed her flattened palms against his chest to push him back. It also helped her answer her question. He had smooth muscle stretched over the bone that gave her the impression that he was athletic to a small degree, probably practicing a form of martial arts meant strictly for defense. He would not start a fight, but he had the capability of kicking someone else's ass who came looking for one.

Adila turned her face up to his to see amusement in his eyes as he took a step back. She knew then she would not have moved him if he had not allowed her to. Despite being slouched down, he was still taller than her. She wondered exactly how tall he would be if he stood up straight. Could he stand up straight? Maybe he was humped over like that because he spent so many hours in front of a computer and paid no mind to his posture. What an odd but fascinating individual. She kept her hands on his chest, moving close to him again until her nose touched his.

"What are you doing?" he inquired, backing up another step to distance himself from her.

Oh, so that's how it is. Adila closed the gap, brazenly allowing her lips to brush his to see how he would react to a little extra friendliness. She laughed when he stumbled backwards and fell to the floor on his behind. Hovering over him, she dropped to her knees to straddle his thighs. Her eyes held his as he leaned back on his hands to stare at her. The little game between them had become a battle of wills as to who would give in and cower away first. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his, expecting some kind of reaction but getting none. What a disappointment. Sighing with resignation, she decided to call it quits because she was tired. Pushing against his shoulders, she intended to shove herself up to her feet. Instead, she was pulled to the floor and found herself lying on her back with his body on top of hers.

"Defense, my ass," she grumbled because she had missed that mark. His offense was pretty impressive and unexpected. Her next complaint was halted when his lips pressed against hers. Her fingers invaded that amazingly untidy mop of black hair, clutching firmly to hold his lips securely to hers.

"Are you going to tell me about your nightmares? Or will I have to extract the information from you by more…" he paused, his hand sliding down her neck and going lower. He grinned smugly when she grabbed his hand before he reached her breast. "Persuasive means," he finished giving her a self-satisfied smirk.

"Are you always so friendly with your fellow investigators?" she inquired, trying to wiggle from underneath him. She immediately felt the rigid results of her squirming pressing against her hip.

"Just the pretty female ones. I've never had any complaints before," he arrogantly replied.

"There's a first time for everything," she cautioned, poking him between the ribs hard enough to make him grunt. "Get up, and I'll tell you what you want to know."

L stood up and held out his hand for her. Adila took it and smiled at him when he pulled her to her feet. He was a lot stronger than he looked. He was a hell of a lot more enticing than she had first thought as well. Or was that the self-imposed celibacy of the last three years making her think that way? She was becoming more aware of her own kind of hidden strangeness. Teru had made her aware of it first and this guy seemed to bring it out in her as well. Speaking of Teru, why had she had that horrible dream about him? She would leave that part out.

Following L to his computer that was set up on the desk in the other bedroom, Adila looked for somewhere to sit. Glancing at the bed, she noticed it appeared that it had not been slept in at all. She made herself comfortable in the bed while he took his bird stance on the chair in front of his computer.

"So doc, where do I begin?" she joked, feeling as if she were in a psychologist's office. Glimpsing at him, she smiled with the thought that he would be a very eccentric and extremely friendly psychologist. He would have a psychologist of his own no doubt.

"Where everything begins…the beginning," he replied without turning to look at her.

Adila told him every detail of the dreams about the murder victims. She was hopeful that there was a hidden clue within them somewhere that would help with the investigation. There had to be some good reason for having them besides her troubled mind trying to work through the trauma of what she had seen and read. Afterwards, they sat in silence with nothing but the tapping sound of his keystrokes filling the room.

"What else is bothering you?" he queried while still typing.

"Nothing," she lied, rolling over to turn her back to him.

"Would you like to stay here and sleep? You seem comfortable. If you have another nightmare, I'll be right here to help you," L said, still pecking away at the keyboard.

"Thank you," she mumbled, drifting off to sleep. It had eased her mind and helped her relax to talk about the bad dreams. A smile touched her lips when she replayed his last words in her head: _'I'll be right here to help you.'_

_..._

* * *

"When I said get a boyfriend, I didn't mean the lead investigator of the high profile case I'm working on," Naomi huffed, ignoring the fact that her friend was choking on her soda after the unforeseen reprimand. "God, Adila, what the hell are you thinking?"

"He's not my boyfriend," she coughed, wiping the soda that was dripping from her chin. She was relieved they had opted for eating outside on the balcony. She was also thankful L was hidden deep within the cave of his room that was lit only by his computer screen. It would have been mortifying if he had heard that.

"That wasn't the impression I got when I found you two this morning," her friend responded spitefully with an impish grin on her face.

Adila could feel the blood rushing to her face so violently it made her shiver from how quickly it drained from the rest of her body. She was sure she would be reminded of that incident quite often. At some point during the night, L had gotten into the bed with her and inserted himself securely into her arms using her breasts as his pillow. The man finally decides to take a damn nap after how many days or weeks and it just had to be with her.

"It was sweet. You two were so cute cuddled together. From what his assistant Watari told me, that's the first time he's slept in at least a month," Naomi told her, sipping her tea primly.

"I'm so glad I was just what he needed for a good night's sleep. I never considered myself the cuddly teddy bear type until now," she muttered, finishing off what was left of her soda.

"What did you do to him beforehand to get him so relaxed?" her friend inquired casually.

"I don't know. Ask him. I was asleep," she countered, flipping open her notebook to hide the wide grin on her face.

"Ladies, are you ready to get started with the investigation?" L asked, appearing on the balcony like an apparition. His eyes fell on Adila and he smiled softly, lovingly. "Thanks for last night. I hope we can do it again very soon."

Adila was glad all she was holding was her notebook when it fluttered to the cement floor of the balcony. She mentally added L to her 'people to seek painful revenge on' list right below Naomi's name while her ridiculous excuse for a friend brayed bawdily with unrestrained laughter. Unfortunately the laughter had to end because it was time to get serious and get started trying to find this psychotic maniac before he kills someone else.

...

* * *

Adila was sitting on the side of the bed allowing her head to hang down with her eyes closed. It gave her the appearance of being a lifeless ragdoll which was pretty much how she felt at this time. She wished there was some way to cleanse her eyes and her brain, some method of washing herself of those images and information. Grabbing the bag of supplies that Naomi had brought her, she dumped it out on the bed to retrieve items for a good, long, cleansing shower. At least she could wash her body and escape the thoughts for a while. While the hot water flowed over her body, thoughts of a different kind invaded her mind. Dirty thoughts of a more pleasant nature formed enticing images of her and a particular bizarre black haired detective. After an unusually lengthy and boiling hot shower, she stepped out looking like a boiled lobster but feeling fabulously relaxed. Covered only in a towel, she went to the bedroom and dropped down on the bed in exhaustion. She lay back on the bed and was asleep within minutes.

...

Adila. A different voice called her this time from the dreamscape. She felt his hands on her body and sighed. He kissed her while his hands investigated her body. His manhood penetrated her yearning body to discover the secrets she held deep within her. Before long she knew without a doubt he truly was the greatest detective ever.

"Adila!" L shouted in his anxious efforts to wake her.

"Wh-what?" she stammered, opening her eyes. She knew it was a dream, but it had been a good dream.

Suddenly, with distressing clarity, she grasped two important facts: he was really in the room with her and she was really in nothing but a towel. Looking down at her body that was now covered with a blanket of unknown origin, her eyes gradually rose to meet L's. His pale face was healthily colored in the loveliest shade of rose red; two extra dark spots of red burned brightly on the tops of his cheeks.

"I heard you moaning from the other room and I thought you might be in pain. Was it something else?" He held her gaze, but he self-consciously scratched the back of his head.

No innuendos? No crack comments to embarrass her further? He was not even giving her a lewd look-see. "I'm just a little bit miserable, that's all."

A truthful answer but not so honest it caused humiliation. She was indeed miserable because for the first time in well over three years she wanted something. It was so shocking she did not even want to admit it to herself. She deliberated which part was more alarming: the fact she wanted sex or the fact that she wanted to have it with him. Naomi was right – she really did need to get out more.

~\..'../~

* * *

Over the next few days, Adila gathered more information about the serial killer as well as the detective on the case. She would like to write a paper on L because he was endlessly fascinating with his long list of quirks that seemed to grow every day. He was a hopeless sugar addict who perched on chairs like an owl and even looked like one. His insomnia was chronic and severe which gave him all of the time in the world to think and think some more. A child prodigy and genius, L was already a seasoned detective who held the distinct honor of solving many notorious cases that had been deemed unsolvable. Despite that fact, he was sometimes staggeringly immature and relied heavily on his companion Watari. Watari was the gentleman who had found L and raised him. He still took care of him completely even though L was in his early twenties.

"What's it like to be you? Is it lonely? Have you ever been in love? Would you ever get married?" she asked, blinking slowly as drowsiness set in.

It was bedtime, for her at least, on her fifth night at the hotel. She was lying on the bed in his room talking to him as he typed. They were so close to solving this thing a near hysteria had set into L. He was still calm and collected as ever on the outside, but she could see the wildness in his dark eyes and hear it in his vigorous, stabbing keystrokes that he made with his forefingers. She envied Naomi for being able to go home and not have to deal with the obsessive detective who was becoming more fixated on the case with each passing day.

"I have Watari. I'm too busy to be lonely. I've never been in love and never will be, therefore I will never get married," he answered with resolve behind his words.

"What a shame," she mumbled, rolling over onto her belly. "Underneath all the weirdness and bullshit, you're a really nice guy. I could love someone like you."

Adila opened her eyes in alarm when she heard the typing stop abruptly. Cautiously, turning onto her back, she gulped when she saw him leaning over her. Without a word, he sat down beside her and pulled her against his thin but powerful body. He was the definition of meekness: strength under control. By the rough kiss he was giving her, he felt on the verge of being out of control.

"You should never say things that you are not one hundred percent sure of," he told her, letting go of her rather hastily to stand up.

Seizing his wrist, Adila held him for all she was worth to keep him from walking away from her. "Sleep with me tonight."

"I told you, I don't sleep."

"What if we were doing something besides sleeping?"


	12. The Winding Path

L grabbed her fingers with his other hand and peeled them from his wrist. Holding her left arm up between them, he forced her to look at the bracelet and ring adorning her wrist and finger.

"Tell me about these. Tell me about the man who gave you these. What is his name? Teru? The one you call for at night in your sleep?" he questioned her, his dark eyes taking on a sharp expression that pierced her greenish-gold eyes as if to see into her very soul.

"What?" Adila whispered, swallowing so hard she could hear it.

"You cry out his name in your dreams," he told her in a softer voice, putting his arm around her waist to pull her close when her body began to tremble with emotion.

"I don't know –" She stopped talking when he shook her slightly and pulled her arm up higher to make her focus on the jewelry.

"Don't lie to me. You know I'm not that stupid. Tell me. Those questions you asked me, I answered truthfully. It's your turn to answer mine." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and sat down on the bed next to her.

Adila laid her head on his shoulder, sliding her arm around him after he let it go. She had just wanted to be close to him, seeking comfort in his arms and…other things. She did not want to talk about Teru. It already angered her that she still had feelings for him; feelings that she could not shake or forget because of those damn letters. Why did she read them? Sometimes she wondered about it herself. Apparently, she was a glutton for punishment who enjoyed torturing herself mentally as much as he did. It was possible she was a masochist in disguise and could not admit it to herself.

"He's just an ex-boyfriend I haven't seen in almost four years. It doesn't matter. It's the past," she grumbled, allowing herself to slowly fall back onto her pillow.

"You need to get rid of your past if you ever plan on having a future," he responded in a warning tone. "Or do you want your past to be your future?"

"I don't know," she murmured, barely above a whisper, rolling over to turn her back to him.

Closing her eyes, a single tear escaped and snaked its way around to her temple to be absorbed by the pillow. What did she want? It appeared she had done just what Uncle Anthony had warned her about. She ran so hard from her past that she made a full circle so that now it was right in front of her again. Her body went rigid when she felt L slide underneath the covers behind her. She took very shallow breaths while he made himself comfortable against her with his arm draped loosely over her waist. Her breathing ceased completely when his lips grazed her neck on the way to her ear.

"Just sleep," he breathed, his warm breath blowing across her ear.

Adila moaned without meaning to as goose bumps rose over her entire body. She slid her hand over his, lacing her fingers with his long thin digits. It felt good to be so close to him. His body was warm with a gentle strength that flowed from him to her giving her the comfort she needed. She squeezed his hand slightly when his soft lips pressed a kiss just below her earlobe.

"Do you really want me to go to sleep?" she asked, turning slightly to look at him.

"What do you want?" he inquired, resting his chin on her shoulder to look at her. With a sad smile, he sighed. "Go to sleep. You don't know. I can see it in your eyes."

"Don't leave me, okay?"

"I'll stay here until you are asleep."

Adila wiggled against him until she was cozy in his embrace. She smiled when he snuck in the occasional kiss to her neck.

"Stop that or it will be more than sleeping," she warned after the third stolen kiss just above her collar bone.

"I can't help it. You have the most wonderful skin. It's so soft. And the color of caramel. I want to lick you all over," L whispered in her ear. He proved his point by licking her from her collar bone to her earlobe.

Adila recoiled from the arousal that slid down her spine like liquid fire and exploded deep within her. She clenched her hand, squeezing his fingers between hers. Without intending to, she rubbed her behind across his manhood; he was excited too.

"Do you want to stop this?" he asked, grasping her chin between his thumb and forefinger to turn her head to look at him.

"No," she answered bluntly, flipping over to be face to face with him. By this time, she probably could not have halted the feelings much less any further actions.

"You'll never see me again when this case is over," he reminded her, sweeping his fingers over her cheek and through her hair.

"That's okay," she replied, offering him a small smile. Memories of Shuichi Aizawa flitted through her head. "It's happened to me before."

"What? What do you – "

Adila covered his mouth with hers to block his question. She would not have answered it anyway. Sometimes the detective was way too meddlesome. Despite what he thought, he did not have to know _everything_. Wiggling out of their clothes was difficult but not impossible as their hands and mouths explored each other's bodies. They probably could have gotten undressed faster if they would have just relinquished their contact with the other's body long enough. Unfortunately, it would have shortened the foreplay so it was a sacrifice they were willing to make. For a lonely, eccentric type he sure knew his way around a woman's body. He did indeed lick her all over by the end of the first part of their encounter. Some places garnered extra attention from his tongue and mouth which inevitably led to a breath stealing orgasm. By the time he got around to entering her body, she almost had another climax just from the gradual movement of him sliding into her. She never would have guessed the scrawny, owl-like man could be so damn arousing and orgasm inducing. Apparently he thought about more than his cases in the many hours he stayed awake. No wonder he was a latent lothario and open pervert with those thoughts running around in his head constantly.

Adila gasped the one letter that constituted his name and buried her fingers in his untamed hair while he carried her to the very edge of an orgasm then backed off. Her eyes opened, meeting his as he lay still on top of her just gazing at her face.

"Why did you stop? I was about to – "

"I know," he interrupted, kissing her fleetingly on the lips. "Take me with you."

His plea was shocking on two levels: one that he was not just selfishly seeking his own pleasure and two that he showed his vulnerability. Until now, L had always been so smug, so arrogant; always right and ever confident to remind everyone, particularly her, of his infallibility.

Adila held him close to her body and rolled over to be on top.

"But wait, I don't like this. I prefer to be the dominant one," he protested, putting his hands around her waist as she sat on top of him.

"For once L, let someone else be in charge. Trust me, you'll like it," she assured him, moving her hips slightly as if to show him.

L kept his large, rounded eyes on hers as if to make sure she was not pulling a trick on him. His fingers slid down to her hips and dug in slightly. She continued the small, gentle movements until he relaxed beneath her and his eyes fluttered closed. Lowering herself until she was lying down on him, she planted a few tender kisses on his neck and cheeks.

"That's it. Giving up control is not a bad thing. You just have to be careful who you give it to," she whispered, picking up the pace a little with her hips. Her mouth pressed to his and he willingly accepted the kiss, opening his mouth to bid her tongue in to meet his. She smiled against his lips thinking about how nicely he had adjusted to being submissive.

Adila winced and giggled when his fingers slid over her behind then clamped down to hold her against him. She moaned from the pleasure that coursed through her body as she was reduced to grinding against him instead of taking full strokes.

"Even when you're not on top, you still want that control, don't you?" she inquired teasingly, sitting back up on him.

"Yes," L groaned, his eyes rolling back in his head as she gripped and released him several times with her inner muscles.

"Sometimes we're fooled into thinking we have power over someone, when they're actually dictating us," she said, rotating her hips to bring them both pleasure.

If she had not been so carried away with teasing L and arousing him, she would have realized she had perfectly described her relationship with Teru. Although she thought she had taken that power back from him by leaving, she was still permitting him to manipulate and influence her through his letters. Way down deep inside, so far down that she either did not know or would not admit it, she still wanted him and wanted to be his.

"Adila," L gasped, grasping her thighs so hard his fingers indented the skin.

Adila quickened the speed of her movements, causing the ecstasy to rise within her because he was getting close. She wanted to grant his request for a simultaneous orgasm. She leaned forward to brace her hand against his lean, smooth chest right over his heart. The difference in their skin color made it appear she was making love to a ghost. Maybe she was. Soon he would be gone from her life, and she would never see him again. She seemed to have that effect on men. Have fabulous, mind blowing sex and POOF!, they disappear. It's magic. She imagined other women wished they had that power as well.

Opening her eyes, she watched the man beneath her as his pale face grimaced with the effort to hold back the impending orgasm. She could feel his heart beating beneath her hand. Her breathing synced up with his along with her steady rise toward the climax they were searching for. She cried out his name when he thrust up at her to bring them closer to the end. Sliding forward, meeting him again in mid-thrust, closer still. Then…there it was. Her body convulsed on top of him as he shuddered under her from the powerful orgasms that rocked their bodies. This mind warping, soul crushing orgasm devastated them completely and turned them into a quivering mass of humanity who clung to each to ride it out until they could form thoughts and words again.

"Would you consider working for me? You could travel with me. Always be by my side," L said, kissing her forehead as she lay beside him in his arms. "You would have to leave everything behind. You could not contact family or friends. You would even have to change your name and identity."

"I can't," she answered regretfully.

She had already altered her life and plans once for a man. This time she would have to cut all ties with family and friends. She would have to leave her identity behind and become someone else. As exciting as it would be to travel the world and solve unsolvable cases, she could not do it. It was too much to ask, even to be with him.

"I understand," he murmured, hugging her close to him. "Go to sleep, Adila."

Without a word, her heavy eyelids closed. She knew when she woke up she would be alone in the bed, and he would be typing away at his computer. How much longer did they have before the case was over?

~.\..'../~

* * *

_Five days later…_

Adila tried not to cry as she watched him pack. The case had ended yesterday. BB actually caught himself when he tried to commit suicide to make it appear as if he were another victim. What an interesting way to cover the crimes he had committed. It was brilliant but not foolproof and it failed. He would be taken to jail once he was out of the hospital. Adila had gotten the approval to interview him from the LAPD once he was incarcerated. She needed to complete gathering the information for her thesis so she could begin writing it.

"Kiss me once and say good-bye, Adila. A long good-bye will only hurt worse," L told her firmly, almost cruelly. But he was right.

Adila stepped forward, sliding her arms around his neck as he bent to kiss her. The kiss was brief, poignant, and painful emotionally. Good-byes usually are never a good thing, and this one definitely was not. The inevitable had come and despite knowing that it would come, they were both ill prepared.

"Good-bye, L," she sniffed, managing a quivering smile. She turned and walked away quickly before she changed her mind about his offer.

~\..'../~

* * *

_Over one year later, FBI Field Office, Los Angeles, California_

Adila proudly hung her doctorate of psychology degree on the wall in her office. Along with earning her doctor title, she was now one of the FBI's prominent profilers and psychological experts. Her paper on BB had been published in a psychology journal that had brought in calls from forensic psychologists and law enforcement agencies the world over. Job offers and consultation requests poured into her mailbox, snail mail and email, daily. It felt good to be sought after by some of the top agencies in the world. The loneliness, broken heartedness, and hard work had paid off. She had reached her goal so now all she had to do was sit back and wallow in her success.

Tears flooded down her cheeks. So why wasn't she happy? For one thing, her best friend was gone. Naomi had quit several months ago to marry Raye. Didn't Naomi know that they were living in the twenty first century and it was okay for a woman to keep working even if she was married? Oh, well, she guessed there was something to be said for traditionalists. They were now in Japan because of a case he was working on. At least she was able to travel with him. It would be a horrible thing if they were on different cases on opposite sides of the world.

Adila sighed loudly and swiped at her tears when she thought of L. She could have been traveling and working with someone as well. It made her angry when Naomi so easily left everyone behind for a man when she had refused to do the same. To each her own. She hated this nagging, gnawing feeling of cold emptiness that gnawed at her brain and her guts and would not seem to go away. What was the missing piece to the puzzle of her life? She had gotten everything else she had wanted and then some. So what was it that she still needed?

Grabbing a tissue from the box on her desk, Adila blew her nose which covered up the sound of the incoming email. Her Uncle walked in with a big envelope and handed it to her. She hated that sympathetic smile he always offered her. Of course, if she were not constantly crying, she would not have to see it. When he lingered in her office, she knew something was wrong.

"What is it?" she asked, fear gripping her heart and making it difficult to breath. "Is it grandma or grandpa?"

"No. Everyone in the family is fine," he assured her, taking her into his arms. "Naomi is dead."

"Wh-what?" she stammered, pushing him away so forcefully he stumbled backwards.

"She killed herself after Raye died of a heart attack. Both of their bodies will be arriving at the airport today. Would you like to go with the Director and myself to retrieve them?" he inquired, pulling her back into his arms as she turned white with shock.

"Just give me a moment to gather myself," she requested, moving unsteadily even with her Uncle's help, toward the desk chair.

"I'll be back in ten minutes to get you," he told her, leaving the room.

Adila laid the envelope on the desk beside her computer keyboard. Clicking on the email to open it, she did not recognize the sender name. Ryūzaki? Who the hell is that? She hoped it there was not a virus attached to the email. The resident computer geek would kill her if she downloaded another one. It was not her fault psychopaths loved to send those to destroy the FBI computer system.

_I am relinquishing control to you because I trust you. I need your help. If you are willing, send back yes. I will contact you._

"L," she gasped, pressing her fingers to her lips.

With the touch of a key, the empty reply page opened and the cursor blinked at her ominously. Her fingertip hovered over the Y key but hesitated. Did she really want to do this? There was no telling where in the world he could be or what he was working on. Would the director even permit her to go? She was sure he would allow it considering the identity of the individual requesting her help. Sitting back in her chair, her eyes fell on the envelope. Ripping it open, she stared at the fancy letterhead that read Okibashi Group. It was a law firm in Japan. Why did that sound familiar? Scanning the letter, she realized it was a job offer to be an on staff expert at their firm. They generously offered to pay for all of her moving expenses, the rent for her apartment as long as she worked for them, and a salary that would make it more than worth her while to be in their employ. Her eyes moved over the list of names that made up the staff of lawyers at the firm. One name held her attention and her eyes remained stationary on it. That name was Teru Mikami.


	13. The Return

_One week later, Narita International Airport, Tokyo, Japan_

Adila stepped off the private plane right onto the tarmac. It was so strange not to have to go through that tunnel like exit straight into the airport terminal. Looking several yards ahead of her, she saw a familiar gentleman with gray hair and a thick moustache dressed in a dignified black suit. She returned his smile because she was genuinely happy to see him.

"Hello, Watari. It's nice to see you again," she greeted him as the porters from the airplane stowed her luggage in the trunk of the limousine.

"Hello, Miss Sharvani. It has been a long time," he rejoined, opening the door for her. "I will take you to the room he has for you. He requested that you wait there for him."

...

* * *

L spared no expense. It was a whole suite with only one bedroom. The furniture and decorating style were very modern using only the colors white, black, and red. It was not cozy at all and seemed to be more of a work of art than a hotel room. There was a computer set up on the desk in the bedroom with a screensaver of a black Old English script L against a white background. He was still as full of himself as ever. The kitchen was fully stocked with food including lots of sweets. Did he plan on staying in here with her?

A smile touched her lips and her body shivered a bit from the memories of the few nights they shared together. She would not mind at all if he shared the suite – and the bed – with her. She went to the bedroom to unpack her suitcases because she had the feeling she would be here for a while. Fatigue and jet lag began to set in halfway through unpacking her last bag. The twelve hour flight could hardly be deemed arduous since she had been on a private plane all by herself except for the pilots and a flight attendant. She had felt like a queen on the trip. However, it had given her too much time to think. She cried over Naomi's death for a while, apologetically explaining to the concerned attendant what was wrong. The woman had politely nodded and sat in the back of the plane to read a book while leaving her to her tears.

Adila had thought about Teru as well. She had chosen not to take the job offer because it was a desperate attempt by Teru Mikami to bring her back into his life. After being with L, she had begun refusing Teru's letters and sending them back unopened. She had even blocked his email when he resorted to modern technology to contact her. The only phone number he had for her was to the FBI office, and the operators had been put on alert for when he called. His calls were directed to a voice mail account on her Uncle Anthony's phone, and he would promptly delete the messages so she would not be tempted to listen to them. With all of that, thoughts of him still swirled around in her mind. Maybe he was right. Perhaps Fate would carry her back to him someday especially if he continued pushing its hand. She would fight the current of the universe and Teru that was pulling her back to him as long as she could.

When Adila awoke from her nap, the sun was setting. Getting out of the bed, she walked out onto the bedroom balcony to watch as the red orb dipped below the horizon. A cold wind blew and immediately chilled her straight to the bone, forcing her back into the room.

There he was. She would have thought he had blown in with the winter breeze when she slid open the balcony door. L stood there looking like a phantom with his pale skin against the super black hair that was still a mess after all this time. He was even wearing the same white shirt and oversized jeans. At least he was consistent. Neither one moved or said a word for several minutes as they silently looked over the other.

Adila had made only minor changes in her appearance such as having her hair straightened so that it hung in soft waves below her shoulder blades instead of unruly frizzy curls. Working at the bureau, she had gotten into the habit of wearing feminine business suits with skirts of varying lengths. The skirt she had on now was a little short for winter considering it reached her mid-thigh. She had worn it for him and her efforts had not gone unnoticed because his eyes lingered on the high hemline. He looked pleased about the depth of the neckline of the black cashmere sweater she wore as well. She was barefoot like him because she had kicked off her heels upon arriving and had no intention of wearing any kind of shoes while in her room. She always wore heels of varying heights. The thought of wearing the sensible manly shoes most female agents wore was unbearable to her. The male agents joked with her about being a 'redneck, country girl' because they always found her walking around in her office barefoot after leaving her shoes under her desk. A few of them dared to be more crude telling her if she liked being barefoot so much she could be their wife and they would be happy to keep her barefoot and pregnant while she stayed in the kitchen at home. Those agents found some very unpleasant surprises in their offices or food and one unlucky man's girlfriend received a phone call. He was single a few days later.

"I'm glad you came," L said at last, breaching the silence.

Adila gasped when she found herself in his arms with his lips against hers. It was shocking how fast he could move. She wrapped her arms around his lean body, holding him close while his lips gently moved across hers. The gap of time that had passed between them was removed with that kiss.

"I'm sorry I couldn't go with you," she whispered, unable to speak to louder.

"I already told you I understood. It doesn't matter now. Shut up and don't ruin the moment," he chastised her, taking her lips for his own again.

Adila tightened her grip on him as the kiss turned more insistent hinting at something more than a friendly hello. She sighed when his hand pressed to her breast, molding to its roundness and squeezing slightly. Her hands slid under his shirt touching the smooth, perfect skin of his back that had probably never seen the sun. Pushing him to the bed, she pressed him against the mattress until he bent his knees and sat down.

"Still unwilling to give up control I see," she murmured, sliding his shirt over his head.

"You once told me that control is only an illusion," he reminded her, pushing up her sweater and licking around her belly button.

'Damn him,' Adila thought as her hands went to his shoulders because her knees had weakened. She pulled her sweater off and unhooked her bra to reveal her breasts. A satisfied smirk tilted her lips when he looked up and grunted, immediately placing his hands over them. She closed her eyes and moaned when his hands cupped them and he flicked his thumbs across the tightening nipples.

"You always could cause the most wonderful reactions in my body," she sighed, unbuttoning her skirt and letting it fall to the floor.

"I've missed you," he mumbled, sliding his fingers over the top of her panties and pushing them down. "All of you."

"Oh, god," she gasped when he placed a kiss in an unexpected place. She yelped when she was suddenly seized and thrown onto the bed.

Adila assisted him with removing his jeans and underwear which were the final barriers between them. She held his gaze, studying his dark, dilated eyes as he hovered above her. She kept her eyes on his while he pushed into her. They both moaned loudly from the pleasure of their reconnection. He was the last man she had been with and she did not think it would be assuming too much to think she was his last woman. That was well over a year ago. She was afraid to close her eyes, fearful he might disappear and all of this would be a dream. It appeared he had the same thoughts as her. Their eyes stayed open, breaking eye contact only occasionally to gaze at other body parts over which their hands roved. Their hands stayed constantly in motion; touching, teasing, savoring the feel of the other's skin. The pleasurable sensations and moans of satisfaction it stimulated were rather enticing as well. Paying close attention to each other's facial expressions and breathing patterns, they managed to reach an orgasm at the same moment which was the first time they took their eyes off of each other. While still deep in the blissful throes of passion, their lips met and held keeping them anchored to each other on the waves of pleasure that assailed their bodies.

"Tonight you're mine as a woman. Tomorrow I need you as an investigator," L said, kissing her briefly.

"I understand," Adila replied, sliding her hands over his chest. She pressed a kiss to his shoulder, then began working her way across his chest. If that was how he wanted it, then he had a lot of work to do tonight. Good thing he did not sleep much because he would not be getting any.

...

* * *

Adila woke up alone just like she thought she would. She was grateful he had allowed her to get a few hours of sleep. There was a message for her on the computer screen informing her of the suite to come to once she was dressed. After her shower, she dressed in a mid-calf length skirt and a magenta colored cowl neck sweater. There was no reason to stir up temptation when they had no time to indulge it. With the addition of her black pumps, she was on her way to the indicated room, lugging her bag stuffed with her laptop and notebooks.

Adila knocked on the door and was taken aback when a man she did not know opened the door. He looked to be around her age with black hair and dark brown eyes. His smile was surprisingly warm and friendly. He blushed violently when she smiled back.

"Who are you?" she inquired when he continued to just stare and blush.

"Matsuda!" a man yelled behind him.

For some reason the voice triggered something deep inside of her. Ignoring the feeling, Adila's grin widened when his blush darkened to a cherry red. 'Who the hell are these people?' she wondered.

"Quit standing there with the door open, you moron," the man reprimanded him, pushing him out of the way.

Adila gasped when she saw the man. Looking into a familiar pair of dark brown eyes on the only Japanese man she had ever seen with an afro, she lost the ability to breathe. Her body shook as she took an unsteady step backwards.

"Adila?" Shuichi Aizawa asked, his eyes widening in shock.

"It can't be. Oh, dear god, it just can't be," she mumbled, taking another step back. Her head felt as if it were about to float off her shoulders it was so light.

"It is you," he murmured, reaching out to pull her into his arms.

"Shuichi? But how? Why are you…oh, god, I don't understand," she said, her brain completely muddled at this time.

"The NPA was called in to help with the case. I'm a detective, remember?" he asked, holding her limp body against his because he thought she might faint.

Oh, yes, she remembered. He had just been promoted when they met. Her heart was bleeding over Teru, and they drank themselves silly. They were friends for a short while. Then they said good-bye.

"How is your wife?" Adila inquired, noticing his eyes grew dim and sad.

"She's good. We have a child," he answered, forcing a smile to his lips.

Adila could tell something was wrong, but she was not going to ask. It was none of her business. Besides, she was with L and…oh, no! She pushed Shuichi away from her and walked into the hotel room. Ignoring the stunned faces of the other men in the room, she went straight to L where he sat poking at his computer keyboard.

"L, there's something we need to talk about," she said, trying to keep her voice low. Glancing around the room, she noticed it had been set up like one of their 'war' rooms at the agency when they were on a major case.

"I already know you were involved with one of the investigators working with me," he informed her without looking away from his computer.

"But how did you…nobody knew that," she hissed, turning his chair to force him to look at her. She wanted to slap him so badly as he gave her a self-important, all-knowing smirk.

"I have to do an in depth background check on each person who works with me. I also personally interrogate each person to make sure I can trust them," he explained, keeping his voice low which gave it a slightly menacing tone. "I know all sorts of things about you too. I'm glad you took my offer instead of the job proposal from your ex-boyfriend," he said, his smirk widening into a creepy grin.

Adila was suddenly reminded why she did not like him when she first met him. The sinister little bastard was pissing her off right now. She bit her lower lip, her body shaking from the effort to hold back her emotions. It annoyed her that he had used ex-boyfriend and proposal in the same sentence. How did he know about _that_? Just how closely had he been watching her over the span of time that had passed between them? What else did he know about her? Before she could control it, her hand launched itself toward his face. She slapped him so hard he nearly fell from his perch. Somehow, despite his odd crouching position on the chair, he was able to maintain his balance.

"Bastard," she muttered with venom. She had managed to slap the smirk off his face, but his eyes did not look away from hers. Turning on her heel, she walked toward the door.

"Adila!" Shuichi called, moving to go after her.

"Mr. Aizawa!" L shouted, making everyone in the room halt their activities. He never raised his voice and usually mumbled in a low tone when he talked. "Sit down. Somehow I doubt she wants to talk to you right now. She will be back."

...

* * *

L beat on her room door giving her one more chance to open it before he used the key that Aizawa had retrieved from the front desk for him. 'Damn, stubborn woman,' he thought to himself as he waited. He cursed himself for miscalculating her stubbornness. It was a good thing none of the criminals he had encountered so far were women. He did not know how to factor in their emotional volatility. She would be useful in that arena should the problem arise. Counting in his head, he gave her ten more seconds.

"Zero," L muttered aloud, using the key. Pushing open the door, he immediately had to dodge a flying projectile. He covered his head as the dish hit the wall and exploded into shards of ceramic shrapnel.

"Prick!" she yelled, retreating to the bedroom and slamming the door.

"Really? You think you can hide from me?" he demanded, rushing to the door. With a skillfully placed kick, he caused the door to go flying inward, breaking the frame around the lock into splinters.

Once again he had to avoid an airborne missile. This one was a lead crystal candy dish from the nightstand that could have given him a concussion or worse. Seeing that she was searching for another weapon, he leapt across the bed and grabbed her in a bear hug.

Adila screamed with surprise and anger when he threw her on the bed. She screamed again when he sat on her back to hold her down. Her shouting ceased when he tightened his thighs around her and constricted her ribs about her lungs to make it difficult to breathe. She wriggled and bucked like a wild mare trying to lose her unwelcome rider. Her movements ceased when she felt him pulling up her skirt.

"Are you kidding me?!" she bellowed, when he held her wrists together behind her back and slid down to sit on her thighs. She buried her face in the bed, moaning in surrender and anticipation when she heard the zipper on his jeans. Once again she found herself in a tremendously unusual sexual situation yet she liked it.

"What are you going to do? Fuck me into submission?" she growled, as he removed her panties.

"Oh, I actually find that rather inviting, my dear," he murmured, pushing her legs apart. "Maybe I am. I think you'd like it."

"Dammit!" she grumbled because he was absolutely correct. Again. Damn the super nerd.

"Take a deep breath," L warned her, shoving into her all at once.

Adila yowled out of pleasure and not pain. She tried to buck him off again when she heard a sadistic chuckle come from him. Not to be deterred now that he had her, he pushed her down and continued plunging into her until they were both satisfied. Once their strange, playful, and ever so pleasurable encounter was over, he lay down beside her.

"You're the weirdest person I've ever known," she told him, rolling onto her side and propping on her elbow to look at him.

"The feeling is mutual. Are you ready to begin working this case with me or do you need to go home?" he questioned her quite seriously.

"I'll be fine. I can do this," she assured him, kissing him briefly and biting his lower lip.

"Ow! What was that for?" he asked, touching his lip to check for blood.

"For knowing about Aizawa and not warning me. It was cruel, L," Adila scolded him in a toneless voice.

"Maybe so. You should know by now that it is imperative be ready for anything or anyone who might pop up during an investigation. By the way, Beyond Birthday is dead. Kira killed him today," he advised her, expecting an adverse reaction. Instead, she had no reaction at all except to rise from the bed. She was beginning to annoy him with her unpredictability.

"I see. Then I suppose we better get started. Kira is not wasting any time so neither should we."


	14. Face to Face Encounters

Adila was sitting on the floor in the middle of the living room with papers and files spread all around her. She was wearing an oversized UCLA sweatshirt that she had cut the collar out of which caused it to drop over one shoulder leaving it bare. Unfortunately, she was wearing that and a pair of panties only and was not expecting guests. Hearing the door open, she did not move to cover herself because she assumed it was L.

"Honey, can you come look at this?" she asked, holding out a stack of papers without looking at her visitor. She looked up finally when they were not retrieved in a timely manner. "Shuichi."

"You're lovely as ever, Adila. More so now actually," he complimented, ignoring the papers in her outstretched hand.

Adila lowered her hand, setting the papers aside on the table so she would remember to give them to L. She had been poring over all this information for hours in an attempt to get up to speed on the investigation and to get started on forming a profile. Keeping her eyes on the papers in front of her, she felt a blush creep over her cheeks as he continued to stand and stare at her quietly without moving to leave. Scratching a few notes into the notebook in her hand, she made two mistakes because he was breaking her concentration with his silent perusal. Furiously marking through them, she tossed her notebook onto the table in front of her.

"What?" she demanded, glaring at him with her golden green eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said, not knowing what else to say. If looks could kill, he would be a dead man because of the murderous glower she was giving him.

"Feel better?"

"No."

"That's not my problem. Can you leave?" she inquired, clicking her pen rapidly as she leaned forward to retrieve her notebook.

"I wanted to talk to you. I asked L if I could come down here to see you." Shuichi paused, scratching the back of his head nervously as he stared at his feet. "So do you belong to him? It's obvious that you two have a history."

"I belong to no man. You and I have a history as well so what is your point?" she queried with unrelenting sharpness. She was not missing an opportunity to cut him straight to the bone with her words. Relinquishing the breath she had been holding in a noisy sigh, she met his intent brown eyes with hers. "What do you want, Ichi? I have a ton of information to read. I'm playing catch up here."

"Can I help?" he asked, moving a stack of files to sit down beside her.

Adila opened her mouth to object then changed her mind. She did indeed need help. If nothing else, he could organize the files for her by names, dates, and events which would help greatly. He could also fill her in on other details by talking to her.

"All right. Help me organize this stuff and tell me what's been going on so far. L, being the ultimate overachiever he is, has gathered a ton of information already and I feel like I'm drowning in it," she muttered impatiently, rifling through the files next to her.

She explained how she would like the files arranged so that it would make them easier to go through and glean the details she needed to form the profile. After that was done, she would go on to the phase of data gathering to get a clearer picture of the suspect's personality and sorting through the minor, but sometimes important, clues to his daily method of operation as an individual. Bad habits or deeply imbedded routines have been the downfall of many criminals.

"Who's first on the list of suspects?" she asked, scribbling notes rapidly.

"Light Yagami. An eighteen year old kid fresh out of high school and soon to be starting college. Here," he said, holding the folder out to her.

Adila reached over to take it without watching where her hand was going. Her hand lay over his instead of the folder, and they both started from the unexpected contact. Their eyes met and they smiled awkwardly feeling like two children with their first crush.

"Here," Shuichi repeated in a soft voice, placing the file in her hand.

"Thanks," she croaked, promptly clearing her throat to remove the lump.

The old feelings had assaulted her without warning when she touched him. They had tried to flow back when she first saw him again but she had been able to combat the tidal wave of warm fuzzy feelings then. The unanticipated physical contact had taken her by surprise with her defenses down which allowed them to come in. So here she sat beside a married man with a rapidly beating heart, sweaty palms, and confused thoughts.

"I don't see how he could possibly be Kira," he went on once the uneasiness subsided between them. "He's our Chief's son."

"Oh?" Adila found that very interesting. That would give him unrestricted access to police information. If necessary, he was smart enough to hack into the restricted parts of the system or able wheedle the information out of others judging by what she had read in his file already. He was majoring in criminal justice to become a detective and follow in Daddy's footsteps. So he wanted to be a hero and change the world. How noble. And convenient.

"So has L said anything about why he suspects him?" she inquired, flipping to the next page of Light's bio.

"No. He just sits and thinks and types stuff on his computer. Occasionally he will share information with us but it's strictly on a need to know basis. For the most part, he feels there's not much we need to know. We are like the drones of an ant colony. We hunt and gather the information and bring it to him. He forms all of the theories and strategies. We just put them into action," he said giving a very apt description of their use by L.

'That's my L,' she thought with some semblance of pride. A soft smile graced her lips and she could feel Shuichi staring at her again.

"Stop doing that, please," Adila requested without looking at him. "It's very unnerving."

"I think I might be getting a divorce," he blurted after an extended silence.

Adila pressed her lips together to hold in the caustic words. He did not deserve them. It was her fault he had hurt her. She had allowed him to take advantage of her when she was emotionally vulnerable. He had warned her that he was considering marrying his somewhat ex-girlfriend, and they were temporarily separated to test their emotions. Hers got tested as well. She had stupidly thought that perhaps he did not love his girlfriend enough to marry her. She would not have admitted it then but she had clung to that slim possibility like it was a lifeline. Maybe he would love her enough to stay with her and save her from Teru. Instead, she had been a complete idiot to believe Prince Charming had come and they would live happily ever after. It was her fault for being an epic dumbass for believing in Fairytales. He made his decision, and he had chosen the other woman. How that all worked out is his fault. She was truly sorry he might be getting a divorce particularly since an innocent child would be suffering as well. She would not permit him to hook her again with a vague possibility.

"I wish things had not ended the way they did," he stated with obvious regret in his voice.

"Me too," she confessed keeping her eyes on the words in front her, although she could not read them. Her mind was too busy trying to calm the violent reaction of her body. Taking a deep breath to stabilize her nerves, she calmly stated, "But we both made our choices. I chose to leave my heart in your hands and you chose her. I suppose we both made a mistake."

Adila stood up, going to the tiny kitchen to make some tea. She could not stop the wry grin from twisting her lips. She had always done that with Teru. When things became uncomfortable and she wanted to run, she would retreat to the kitchen under the guise of making tea. It was one of those ingrained habits that she had formed as a coping mechanism.

"What was that all about?" L asked, unable to stop the mischievous grin from nearly bisecting his face when she jumped violently.

"Dammit, L!" she shrieked, turning to scowl at him. "Don't you ever get tired of sneaking up on me?"

"No. Because I never know how you're going to react. I like the fear reaction the best," he said, moving so close to her she could feel his body heat. He tipped her chin up with one hand so she would have to look at him. The other hand pressed to her rapidly beating heart while he held her questioning gaze.

"What the hell are you doing?" she inquired, trying to push his hand away.

"Fear is a reaction to any stimulus that gives a human reason to believe they are in danger. Adrenaline is released. The heart beat increases, the muscles tense, and the senses are on high alert. Will you fight or will you run? What are you in danger of?" he asked, giving her that soul searching gaze of his.

"Stop it, L. I'm already weary of your weird psychological games. I don't feel like playing them," she growled, pushing against his chest. He did not move a bit so she pushed harder with no results. A gasp tore from her throat when his arms went around her and pulled her against his lean, smoothly muscled chest.

"Do you know what I'm afraid of?" he whispered in her ear, gathering her hair in his hands.

Adila did not say anything, keeping her mouth and her eyes shut as he worked his fingers through her hair. She waited for him to answer his own question. Her arms slid around his slim waist when his body began to shake.

"I'm afraid of being wrong," he told her, kissing her neck just below her ear.

'How typical. Honestly, how conceited is he?' she pondered, loosening her grip on him. She had thought for a minute he was being serious and was going to share an actual feeling with her.

"If I'm wrong people die, Adila. I don't have the luxury of being wrong," he explained, tightening his arms around her.

Adila moved her arms up to his neck, standing on her tiptoes so she could rest her head in the crook of his shoulder. She refrained from saying a word, taking her wise father's advice that sometimes silence is best. Words would probably only ruin the intimate emotional moment. She was flabbergasted that he had opened up to her and allowed her a peek into his inner world, the realm he always kept hidden from everyone. Hopefully, he was receiving whatever comfort and encouragement he needed from her embrace.

"I saw what happened," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders as she faced him.

"Of course you did. Are the cameras through the whole suite or just in here?" she calmly inquired, resigned to her situation and his penchant for voyeurism.

"The whole suite," he answered bluntly, sliding his hands up to her neck to work the knotted muscles.

"The shower?"

"No. I did allow you that privacy."

"Thanks so much," she muttered, pulling her hair up into a ponytail and turning her back toward him. "Do you have a file where you've gathered the specifics? What you definitely know about this Kira? It would save me a lot of time to begin my initial profile. I can sift through all this stuff little by little to form a more comprehensive one later."

"You disappoint me. You're being lazy," L criticized her, kissing the back of her neck. He turned her to face him but continued rubbing her shoulders and neck.

"You're not going to trick me into an argument. I'm too tired," Adila said, unsuccessful in stifling a yawn. It was the middle of the day but she was tired. Her body had not adjusted to the time change and jet lag still plagued her.

"Want me to help you relax?" he asked, pecking her on the lips.

"You're such a tease," she accused, pressing her lips to his.

"You know I'll follow through," he murmured, sliding his hands down her neck while he kissed her.

Adila groaned when his thin, strong fingers dug into her tense, strained shoulders. She could feel her whole body growing limp and weak as he worked the muscles while kissing her tenderly.

"I was thinking more along the lines of something like this," he said, massaging her stiff neck.

"Oh, L," she moaned as he rolled the muscles between his fingers, releasing the tension and pain.

"Moan my name like that again and I might not be able to stop it from becoming something else," he warned her, kissing her neck after she tilted her head back into his hands.

"I need to go over some things with you. Tell me about this Light Yagami," she requested, whimpering when he stopped the fabulous massage. "Can you do that and talk?"

"Yes, but I need fuel though. Is that cake still in here?" he asked, walking away from her to open the refrigerator.

"Yes," she answered grumpily turning back to the tea. She continued preparing it for her and him since it was apparent that Aizawa was no longer her guest. That was probably a very good thing. The emotional remnants from the past had awakened, making the atmosphere between them thick with sentimentality. One more touch or long look and things would have proceeded to get out of hand.

Adila glanced at L, pausing to watch him licking the frosting from his fingers as he attempted to cut himself a piece of cake. She observed him slide the knife through the confection, purposely allowing his finger to drag through the icing. Her mouth dropped open as he proceeded to grab the large, irregularly shaped hunk that made up about a quarter of the whole cake. Not wasting time with a plate or a fork, he lifted it to his lips and took a massive bite, successfully smearing icing all around his mouth. She could not stop the giggle that bubbled up from her because he looked like a wide eyed innocent child who had been determined to help himself without parental assistance.

"Oh, honey," she murmured, moving toward him. She kissed him, then licked the sugary vanilla flavored substance from her lips. "Mmmm…you do taste good."

Adila stuck out her tongue licking the icing from his cheek. His groan of excitement and the sweet taste spurred her on to proceed to lick the rest of the icing from his face. She kissed him on the lips, smiling at him.

"What?" he asked innocently, going for another bite of the cake. Once again he covered his face with the icing.

"You're doing that on purpose," she chuckled, backing away from him.

Adila shrieked when he hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her against his body. She giggled as he kissed her, smearing the icing over her lips and face. She sighed happily when his tongue darted out to lick across her lips and cheek.

"Oh, L," she groaned, twisting her arms around his neck when her lips met his again.

"I warned you," he murmured against her lips before lowering her to the floor.

They kissed and laughed while licking the icing off of each other's faces and fingers until L had managed to eat his special kind of brain food. They made love right there on the small tiled area that comprised the floor of the kitchenette. Afterwards, Adila had a horrendous thought.

"L? Before you came down here did you turn the surveillance cameras to my room off?" she inquired, feeling her guts twists into knots with nausea.

"Oops…I didn't think I had a reason to turn them off," he murmured, hopping to his feet to begin pulling his clothes back on.

"Dammit, L!"


	15. A Second Farewell

Adila was in her room going over her notes. She had been here nearly three months and felt like she had gotten nowhere. Sometimes she wondered if her view had not been tainted from the beginning. She had second guessed herself time and again about the profile. Did she form her profile objectively? In her effort to support L had she purposely twisted the profile to make all indicators point to Light Yagami? She believed L when he told her his suspicions and why he believed Light was without a doubt Kira. Had she allowed his beliefs to cloud her mind? She no longer knew. Tossing the pile of notes onto the table, Adila sighed heavily. Her eyes burned and her head ached. She had not slept at all last night because she could not stop thinking. Something was wrong. They were spinning their wheels and getting nowhere with the case. What were they missing?

There was a knock on the door. Adila sat perplexed by the sound as if her muddled brain could not comprehend she was supposed to get up and answer the door. L roamed in and out of her room at will without knocking. Who could that possibly be? Only one way to find out. She slowly stood up as the sound came again just before she opened the door. Her eyes met the pale face and terror filled eyes of Shuichi Aizawa.

"What is it?" Adila asked, moving back to allow him to come in.

"Ukita is dead," he stated in a shaky voice, walking past her swiftly into the room.

'Why did you come to me? Why aren't you still upstairs with everyone else?' she almost questioned him.

"I want you to leave. If Kira is going to start killing members of the task force, you need to go home," he said, grabbing her upper arms.

"No. I won't," she refused, crying out when his grip tightened to a bruising strength.

"Adila, please! I've already lost my family! I can't lose you too!" he yelled, crushing her against his chest.

"Shuichi! Stop it!" she cried out, struggling against him.

"Go. Go home," he begged without loosening his grasp.

"No," she stubbornly persisted.

"Dammit, Lala," he muttered, relaxing his hold on her but not letting her go. "You never should have come here. I don't know what the hell is going on. It's scary as hell. I've never felt so helpless, and I hate it."

Adila would agree with his sentiment; particularly his opinion on her coming here. It had not been her intention to restart her fling with L, and it had certainly never occurred to her that she would see Shuichi again. She now felt like she was wearing a target on her back along with everyone else involved in the investigation. They had nowhere to hide from the phantom killer they could not identify. They did not even know how this so-called Kira actually murdered people.

"What else happened tonight?" she asked, pulling him to the couch to sit down with her.

Adila listened intently, taking notes, while he recounted the night's events beginning from the broadcast of the Kira tape on Sakura TV to when Chief Yagami crashed into the front doors of the television station with a police van. Kazuhiko Hibima, a newscaster from competing station Taiyo TV, was killed during a live broadcast. Ukita's death occurred soon afterward which had caused the panic to storm the TV station in an attempt to stop their broadcast of the tape and whatever the hell was going on. Both men had appeared to die of heart attacks like most of the others. How? How was Kira doing it?

"Kira stated on the video that Hibima was killed for referring to him as a 'devil' during broadcasts," he noted while she continued to jot down the information.

"That doesn't make sense," she muttered, standing up to pace the floor. "Kira was killing criminals but has now devolved into murdering those who mock him?"

"There are two," L announced, walking into the door without knocking per his usual manner.

"Two what?" Adila and Shuichi inquired in unison.

"Two Kiras," he answered, before turning his dark eyes on the man who had been alone in the room with her until now. "If you had been upstairs like you were supposed to be you would know that. Why are you here anyway?"

"Send Adila home. She doesn't need to be here. Her usefulness to you on this case has already run its course. At this point, she would only be in the way and a hindrance," Shuichi said, diverting his eyes to glimpse at Adila. "She's a needless distraction."

"To me or to you, Mr. Aizawa?" L queried calmly, giving the man his patent self-righteous smirk. "Shouldn't you be more worried about what's going on with your own relationship with your wife than with mine?"

"L! Stop it! That's unnecessary!" Adila yelled, moving between the men as they converged on each other. Her eyes drilled into Shuichi's furious brown ones. Barely above a whisper, she ordered him, "Get out."

"I need a profile on the second Kira," L commanded her coldly while the other man vacated the room. "I'll send the copies of the news broadcasts to your computer."

"L!" she shouted at him before he walked out of the door. She paused to see how long he would stand there before advancing. When he did not move for a long moment, keeping his stiff but humped back to her, she continued, "Don't come back here tonight."

"I wasn't planning on it. There's too much work to do. You are the profiler. I need you to profile our perpetrator," he told her, walking out and closing the door softly behind him.

That low click might as well have been a shotgun for the effect that it had on her. Adila jerked as if she had been hit by a bullet. She leaned her head back, closing her eyes. She would cry if she were not already exhausted. There was more work to be done, and there was no time for it. It was time to get serious and do what she came here to do which was to be the psychologist. It was her job to get into this psychopath's mind and skulk around until she came up with a clear picture of who he is, what he wants, and how they can catch him.

Trudging to the kitchen, Adila began the preparation for making tea. Maybe it was the ceremonial nature of the preparation that made it such a soothing ritual for her: setting the water to boil, picking out a flavor of tea, gathering the accompaniments of sugar and cream, and choosing a cup and saucer. Thanks to Watari's incredible thoughtfulness, she was provided with an array of dainty, beautiful chinaware to choose from. While waiting for the kettle to boil, she heard a knock on the door. Debating whether or not she should answer it, her feet moved her toward the door as if drawn by the incessant request for entry that hammered on her skull from the sound.

Adila opened the door, standing behind it so Shuichi could come in. She already knew who would be there because the rapping had sounded exactly the same from when he was there earlier. It did not surprise her that he had come back so quickly either. It was a good thing he would never be a criminal; he was just too predictable. The only thing she speculated about was if he had returned of his own volition or by L's bidding. She closed the door and walked back to the kitchen without a word. She rearranged her tea tray and added another cup and saucer. It was brown with orange and yellow maple leaves in a random pattern on the cup and lining the edge of the saucer. Hers was pink and white with an elegant, detailed single cherry blossom adorning both cup and saucer.

"You shouldn't have come back," she told him, pouring the water in the clear glass teapot.

"I couldn't stay away," he replied, sitting on the couch to watch her.

"This will probably end in disaster. It already has once," she reminded him, adding the dried flower blossom to the steaming teapot. She stood transfixed as she observed the green leaves rehydrating and spreading, moving as if it was a leaving breathing creature. A lovely dark pink flower had been nestled in the middle of the leaves and rose to float above the green mass as it was coaxed to life by the hot water. Picking up the tray, she carefully transported it to the coffee table to sit it down in front of him.

"What is that?" Shuichi asked, leaning forward to examine the gorgeous flowering foliage in the teapot.

"It's Chinese Blooming Tea. The flower has been dried then blooms again in the hot water while flavoring your tea. It's beautiful isn't it?" she inquired, still mesmerized by the pretty display.

"I suppose sometimes all something needs to live again is the right incentive," he said, his lips disturbingly close to her ear as he spoke the words.

"Are you saying that all you need to stir something up is to make it wet?" Her eyes glinted mischievously as she turned to look at the blushing man beside her, almost touching his lips with hers.

"That was really dirty, you know," he returned, unable to keep a straight face. He smiled while his blush deepened.

Perhaps it was the unrelenting stress of the investigation. It could possibly be the emotional wounds of the hurtful words that had passed between them. Without a doubt it was their past linking them, but something had taken place in that moment to bring them together. They both blushed an attractive shade of crimson and chuckled self-consciously from the two double entendres they had used in the verbal jousting match.

Adila did not care about the cameras. L could damn well watch all he wanted and think what he would. She poured their tea and they began to discuss details of the recent events making sure nothing had been left out or overlooked. Handing him her notes from their previous discussion, she permitted him to look them over while she moved to the bedroom to the computer to pull up the news broadcasts. She was watching the videos when he joined her moments later.

"I assume you watched all of this while it was live?" She heard the bed creak when he sat down on the corner of it behind her.

"Yes, I did. Ukita's death is coming up right after this," he warned her, holding the notebook up so he would not have to watch it all over again.

It had been heartbreaking and fear inducing enough the first time he had viewed the event happening, and he did not want to see it again. He did not want to feel that way again. He had endured the worst possible feeling while observing his comrade dying: that powerlessness and futility of knowing there was not a damn thing he could do about it. All he had been able to do was stand there shaking in his shoes while he stared in dazed horror.

"Oh, my god," Adila gasped, covering her mouth to keep from saying anything else.

It was like watching the proverbial train wreck. She wanted to look away but could not. A man was dying in front of her very eyes, and all she could do was gawk in morbid curiosity. She continued watching right up until the very end when a van crashed through the front doors compliments of Chief Yagami. How could this man's son be Kira? She was beginning to have qualms about her conclusions and their validity, but somehow she could not doubt L.

"Shuichi, would you – " Her words halted in her throat when she turned to see him laid back on her bed with the notebook laying open on his chest. She smiled when he snored lightly. Not having the heart to wake him, she carefully stood up from the chair to try to make him more comfortable. Picking up his feet, she swung them toward the head of the bed. She did not dare to attempt to move his whole body. After putting a pillow under his head, she retrieved an extra blanket from the closet. She decided it would be best to remove his shoes before she covered him up. Not once during all of her fawning over him did he wake up. In fact, he barely moved.

Adila stood over him, looking down at his worn face. She could not stop the noisy sigh that was a mix of annoyance and relief simultaneously. His presence, especially in her bed, was both distressing and consoling at once.

"Good night, Ichi," she murmured, kissing his forehead.

"Lala, I love you," he moaned sleepily, rolling onto his side. "I was a fool for letting you go."

No wonder his wife wanted a divorce if he said things like that in his sleep. Nevertheless, she was sure their problems had nothing to do with her. The main reason for the marital problems had to be because he was stuck here with L twenty four hours a day and seven days a week, having effectually abandoned her and their child to work on this case. Or had the issues begun before that? L had explained to her that he and Chief Yagami both had given the option to every officer of bowing out of the investigation without the threat of any kind of retribution. Most of the detectives had taken the option to leave yet a few, Shuichi being one of them, had stayed behind with dogged determination to solve the mysterious murders even after the dangers of the investigation and details of their quarantine to the hotel had been laid out for them.

Adila reached down and ran her fingers through his hair which was deceptively soft despite its wiry appearance. She pressed another kiss to his forehead and retrieved her notebook that had fallen to the floor. She returned to the computer to watch the videos and begin her outline of the second Kira. In the back of her mind, there was a tiny, strained voice that cautioned her she should have taken Shuichi's advice and left when she could have.

...

* * *

Shuichi awoke with a start, instantly coming to complete wakefulness when he comprehended his location. Sitting up, he looked around the room quickly to see her sitting at the computer. He assumed she was asleep by her slumped over posture with her head hanging down. Getting up from the bed, he went to her to lift her out of the chair and lay her on the bed. She had taken care of him last night so it was his turn to take care of her. He pushed the hair out of her face after covering her up.

"She will be leaving soon," L said from the doorway.

Shuichi balked faintly from the other man's sudden statement since he had not detected his presence beforehand. He stood up straight to turn and face the sneaky super detective.

"You were correct in your assessment that her helpfulness has been outlived and she is indeed a diversion. For both of us," he added, giving Aizawa a hard glance. "We both need to be as clear headed and focused as possible for this case. With the emergence of a second Kira, things are beginning to get complicated."

"Beginning to get complicated?" Shuichi repeated in annoyance. The brilliant detective had a talent for the major understatement. He looked down at the sleeping woman, pleased she would be going home. Unfortunately, he would miss her – more than he should.

...

* * *

When Adila awoke, she was alone – in the bedroom at least. Listening intently, she could hear the voices of two men and recognized them Shuichi and L's, but she could not understand what they were saying. She got out of the bed, nearly tripping over her suitcases.

"What the hell are those doing there?" she pondered aloud, glaring down at them. Her sleep deprived brain gradually made the realization that they must be loaded because they did not tip over when she bumped into them. Rushing into the living room, she demanded, "What's going on? Why are my suitcases packed?"

"You're going home, Adila," L informed her calmly. There was no change in expression on his face and absolutely no emotion in his voice.

Adila stared at him in disbelief. Why was he sending her away? How could he be so cold and callous? She assumed the lack of emotion was part of being a good detective. No – in his case it made him a great detective. She was aware that she allowed her emotions to get in her way, and she understood that barred her from reaching her full potential as an investigator. It had happened to her before on cases, and it had happened again. Her supreme downfall up to this point had been if a case involved children. It had nearly killed her on the BB case which was her first one involving a child and had not gotten much better in subsequent instances. She had now experienced a new emotional interference: how a love interest can hinder and completely ruin her unbiased opinion which was essential to look at all of the evidence and facts objectively to gain insight. What other lessons had to be learned before she could become a better investigator?

Glancing from one man to the other, Adila bowed her head to concede. There was no reason to argue. She understood why she would have to leave. She should have known her views were already contaminated because she believed Raye and Naomi had been killed by Kira.

"I should have never come here. I'm sorry I wasted your time, L," she apologized not knowing what else to say. "I'll go get ready to leave."

"You didn't waste my time, Adila. You offered some very important insights to the investigation. It's just time for you to leave. That's all," he assured her, staring at her back as she stood in the doorway of the bedroom. After she disappeared into the bedroom, he addressed the man standing beside him. "Mr. Aizawa, go with her to the airport. Watari will be waiting for you two downstairs in thirty minutes. The airplane will be ready."

...

* * *

Shuichi gave her many sidelong glances on their way to the airport but could not bring himself to break the silence covering them with the stifling intensity of a heavy blanket. As they crossed under the sign pointing toward the terminals, he reached over to take her hand in his. He did not know what else to do and words had long deserted him.

Adila placed her other hand over the top of his as he clasped her hand gently. She understood how he felt because she did not know what she could possibly say to him either. Words had failed her as well. Her good-bye to L had been as low-key as the first one; a simple kiss farewell, and he was gone from her life. Her mind revisited the questions many times of whether she would see him again and if she really wanted to. She was not sure if it was shock or resignation to the inevitable circumstances that kept her from crying. Either way, the tears did not come, and she was thankful for it.

"Ichi, do one thing for me," she said as the car turned onto the side road that led to the hangars reserved for private airplanes. She slid over next to him, giving him a brief kiss on the lips. "Promise me."

"Okay. I promise," he vowed, staring into her bright eyes that bore into his. He had no choice but to look her in the eyes since she had her hands pressed against his cheeks holding his head.

"When the case is over, go home to your wife and try to work things out," she whispered, giving him a feeble smile. The tears were trying to spring to her eyes, but she blinked them back. She did not add that if he could not work things out with his wife to come find her. If she had, he would be less likely to try his best to mend his relationship with his wife.

"I will," he assured her, taking her hand away from his face and kissing the palm. "We're here."

Adila dropped her hands and slid back to her side of the car just before Watari opened her door. She smiled at the pleasant, elderly man when he held out his hand to assist her from the car.

"It was wonderful seeing you again, Miss. Please have a good flight and take care," he told her, bowing slightly when she was out of the car.

Adila took a deep breath and started to walk away. Halfway to the plane, she turned back and gave them both a small wave. After receiving one in return from both men, she whirled around to proceed to the airplane. The tears slowly slid down her cheeks on her journey to the plane. The engines began to hum then whine with a deafening volume which covered her doleful sobs.

The flight attendant on the plane was the same one from before. Offering Adila a sympathetic smile, she helped her into a seat.

"I hope it was not another death this time, Miss," she said, helping her with the seat belt when Adila's hands were shaking too acutely to secure it.

"No. Not this time."


	16. A Surprise Visit

_Two weeks later, FBI Headquarters, Los Angeles, California_

Adila was in her office staring out of the window again. Her view contained the building next door and a sliver of blue sky on each side. The aesthetics did not matter because she was too lost in thought, too deep in her pain, to notice anyway.

"Adila?" her Uncle Tony called softly as he walked into her office.

"I'm not going home. That would only make it worse," she told him before he even asked her. He had been begging her to go home to her parents every day since she had returned. Her mother would give her an 'I told you so' for sure this time if she dared to tell her that she had committed the crucial error of mixing business with pleasure. She would honestly say she deserved it. Her Uncle did not know the whole truth, and she was certainly _**not**_ going to tell him.

"Well, then quit moping around dammit!" he yelled at the back of her chair. "It's time to get over it and act like a grown up. You're not the first agent to get kicked off of a case. Besides, you weren't actually fired. As a matter of fact, the Director received a very nice letter of commendation about you from Ryūzaki."

"Oh, how nice of him," she remarked with malicious sarcasm. "I'm not moping. And it's not about being kicked off the case. I've got other things on my mind. I'll be okay," she reassured her Uncle Anthony hoping that would get him out of her office. She turned her chair to look at him finally.

"What happened over there exactly?" he asked like he had several times before.

"Nothing," she lied with a smile that quivered.

"Mmm-hmm," he mumbled, glaring at her with his icy blue eyes that were just like her father's. He did not believe her and did not try to hide that fact.

Adila did not care if he believed her or not. She allowed the beep from her computer to distract her so that she could ignore her overprotective Uncle Tony. An email from Okibashi Group had just arrived. They had just upped their offer to three times her present pay along with the purchase of a house. The digital signature was from one of the partners, Teru Mikami. So he had made partner with the firm? And he would be arriving at the airport in an hour.

"Son of a bitch!" she hissed, slamming her fists down on the keyboard. The computer released a series of loud beeps to protest her violence.

"What?" her Uncle asked her moving around her desk to see. "Son of a bitch!"

"Well, at least we agree on something," she muttered, getting out of her chair.

"Where are you going?" he demanded, grabbing her by the arm.

"The airport," she answered nonchalantly, grabbing the short sleeved jacket that matched her short black and white pinstriped skirt. Twisting out of his grip, she headed for the door.

"The hell you are! I'm calling security. Let him come to you. They can intercept him here," he told her, grabbing the receiver of her phone.

"NO!" she yelled with surprising strength before he stabbed a button. "No. I'm tired of this. I'll take care of him myself. I want to end this once and for all."

...

* * *

Adila stayed close to the baggage conveyor, pacing nervously. His plane had arrived thirty minutes ago. Where the hell was he? Glancing back up the stairs that led down from the gates, she saw him standing at the top. Unexpectedly, her heart thumped so hard it made her chest hurt. He still looked the same except for being more handsome. It was so damn unfair how men get more attractive with age and women just get old. She returned the easy smile that pulled up the corners of his mouth. Her eyes remained on his as he walked down the stairs to her.

"I didn't think you would come," Teru said, embracing her tenderly.

Adila inhaled the unique scent of him- the pine forest after a drenching rain. Her head swirled with thoughts, and she was dizzy from the memories the scent brought flooding back. With the memories came the feelings. She hated how one could trigger the other and always did with her. She had the startling revelation that this was a mistake. As of late, she had made way too many of those. Pushing him away, she cleared her throat and smoothed back her hair fretfully.

"Well, you are here for a business meeting so let's keep it strictly business shall we?" she inquired, turning her back to him to walk back to the luggage carousel.

There were very few unclaimed bags left so it was not difficult for him to retrieve his luggage quickly so they could leave. After he snatched his two suitcases from the conveyor belt, she led him outside to her car. She opened the trunk and waited for him to load the bags without lifting a finger to help. Getting into the driver's seat, she cranked the car and gripped the steering wheel with a choking force like it was his neck as she waited for him to get into the car.

'What the hell was I thinking?' she admonished herself. "Would you like to go to your hotel or to lunch first?"

"Why don't you take me to my hotel? We can just have lunch there," he suggested.

'Dumbass. What the hell did you think he would say when you gave him an option?' Common Sense nagged her. Adila kept her eyes on the road ahead of her. She drove too fast, switched lanes without signaling, and weaved her way through traffic like a race car driver competing for a good position which reduced a thirty minute ride to fifteen. When they arrived at the hotel, she had to peel Teru off of the door so the valet could open it. She left the keys in the ignition for the valet so she could follow Teru and the bell hop carrying his suitcases through the glass and gold front doors into the hotel.

Adila glanced around the lobby with feigned interest as he checked in. It was meant to look posh and sophisticated with the gilded Louis the XIV furniture and ornate fountain complete with cherub but it just looked overdone and ridiculous. The elevator ride was silent, and she made sure to stand on the other side of the luggage cart behind the bell boy instead of beside Teru. The worst moment came when the door to the room was opened to reveal a standard hotel room with a king size bed, a dresser, and a table with two chairs by the window. Once his luggage was deposited on the stand beside the dresser, the bell boy left.

Apprehension set in, making her heart beat faster and her body begin to sweat. 'Warning, warning! Danger, danger!' her body was screaming at her as her muscles began to tense and ache. '_Fear is a reaction to any stimulus that gives a human reason to believe they are in danger. Adrenaline is released. The heart beat increases, the muscles tense, the senses are on high alert. Will you fight or will you run? What are you in danger of?' _L's disturbingly calm voice repeated the words in her head.

Adila clenched her fists at her side, contemplating what to do. She watched Teru silently as he shrugged off the deep forest green jacket of his business suit. Her eyes skimmed over the rest of him as he meticulously hung that jacket on one of the hangers provided by the hotel. The white shirt strained across his chest and arms giving the suggestion of the muscles that lie hidden underneath the material. Apparently he still visited the gym on a regular basis. She kicked off her black and white high heels that looked like a feminine version of a pair of men's wingtip shoes. After removing her jacket, she threw it carelessly onto the bed and moved toward him. A lopsided grin of pure meanness spread across her face when she bypassed him to cross to the window. She threw open the curtains to reveal the view that included the surrounding buildings but also of the pool and courtyard below that was decorated to resemble a desert oasis. Why did some hotels feel the need to be so tacky?

"How have you been?" he asked, moving toward her stealthily.

Adila could hear him coming. She had spent far too much time with L and learned to listen to the softest sounds to know when someone was sneaking up on her. The fabric of his pants made a barely audible swishing sound as he walked. She would have heard his breathing as well which was deep and slightly irregular. It seemed this reunion was not leaving him unaffected either despite how composed and collected he acted. Never one to lose control or disclose his real emotions, he had not changed in that aspect after all these years.

"I've been busy," she answered, staring out of the large plate glass window.

"I know. I'm proud of you, Sweetheart," he murmured, standing close enough she could feel his body heat radiating across her back. "You got everything you ever wanted."

"Not everything," she muttered, biting her lower lip but it was too late. She had not meant to speak those words out loud. Her eyes fluttered shut and her breathing ceased momentarily when his fingers grazed her neck to pull her hair out of the way.

"Why did you come here today, Adila?" he questioned her, kissing the back of her neck.

Adila's belly clenched, and she wanted to fall to her knees they were so weak. Why the hell had she come here today? What a dumb, stupid, idiotic idea. She should have let security handle this problem downstairs in the lobby of the FBI Building. But no. She wanted to do the grown-up thing and confront him. She wanted to tell him to stick the job offer where the sun doesn't shine and to go screw himself. Her breath came in uneven inhales as he pressed several kisses to her neck. The only person about to get screwed was her.

"Teru, stop," she begged, making a sound like a choked cry when his arms wrapped around her waist. It was meant to be an order, but had come out as a pathetic plea.

"Is that what you want?" he asked, turning her to face him.

Adila gulped audibly, forcing the words out of her mouth, "I don't want the job. I don't want you. What I do want is for you to leave me alone. Don't contact me again. Let me go."

"You don't mean it. I can see it in your eyes," he said, stroking her cheek as he held her gaze.

Adila was breathing in loud hitched breaths when he pulled her against him. Her pulse was beating so frantically it sounded like the pounding of a stampede of a thousand horses in her ears. She returned his intense scrutiny, searching his eyes for sincerity. Instead, she was completely incapable of reading him. What exactly did he see in her eyes? She would love to be enlightened as to what it was she was searching for in life because she no longer knew. She felt his warm breath blowing across her lips and neck causing goose bumps to rise across her skin. Her pulse quickened when he continued to observe her silently with his deep, dark brown eyes.

"What do I want Teru?" she asked him since he seemed to know.

"You want to be loved. Stop running from me. Loving you is all I've ever wanted to do. It's why you were given to me. Let me love you," he whispered, pleading with her through his intense gaze. He gently pressed his lips against hers, sliding his hands around her neck and into her hair.

"Teru, stop," Adila commanded vehemently like she had wanted to the first time.

Teru dropped his arms to his sides and backed away. He regarded her for a long moment before averting his eyes. Falling to his knees, he allowed the tears to slide down his cheeks.

Adila fought the impulse to rush to him, to gather him into her arms, and wipe his tears away while she whispered comforting words to him. She forced herself to stay rooted to the spot where she stood as he cried pitiably in his broken spirited position of submission.

"I've loved you for all these years. I've never let you go. What about the other men? I'm sure there were others. Where are they now?" Teru inquired, raising his head to look at her. "I'm right here and I love you."

Adila swallowed so vigorously she could hear the audible gulp. He could not have hurt her more if he had stabbed her in the heart with a dagger. She clenched and unclenched her fists as she fought for control. There was no need for him to be just plain vindictive and obscenely cruel. Taking a step toward him, she raised her hand. After taking the next step, she swung with such fury his head jerked to the left after her hand made contact with his face.

"Do **_not_** think you can play mind games with me. I've been mind fucked by the best," she growled, a picture of L forming in her mind which brought tears to her eyes.

"Can we forget about the past and just move on from here? Adila, I never stopped loving you," he told her, rising from his knees to stand in front of her. "I tried to show you and tell you for several years how I feel about you. I can't apologize enough and I can't change the past, but I can make a better future for us. Please, let me."

"I'll take the job, Teru," she said, raising her finger in front of his face in a gesture for him to withhold saying anything. "But there are conditions. I will live in the house your company has bought me. We will begin dating again. We can't go back to where we were as if nothing happened. We have to start over like it's a new relationship."

"I can do that," he assured her, the beginning of a smile lifting up the corners of his mouth slightly. "I'll call Mr. Okibashi right now to tell him the good news."

~\..'../~

* * *

"Yeah, you took care of it all right!" her Uncle Anthony yelled at her after he read her two weeks' notice that she had already emailed the Director.

"Uncle Tony, please," she begged, rolling her eyes when he turned his back.

"Dammit!" he exclaimed furiously, punching at the air because he was raised not to strike a woman.

If he knew it would do any good, he would go against his down home Southern upbringing and slap the hell out of her to knock some sense into her. He felt completely responsible for this. He had brought her here for the part time job. He had even helped her enroll in UCLA and secure financing. If he had known it would all lead her back to Teru Mikami and Japan, he would have left her in Texas. His big brother was going to kill him at Christmas for allowing this to happen.

Adila moved around her desk to hug her Uncle. "Thank you. Thank you for everything you have done for me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"Yeah, dammit, don't remind me," he muttered irritably, kissing the top of her head as he embraced her. "Good luck, kiddo. And if that damn man ever hurts you again, I'm going to kill him. Then I'm coming after you! Do you hear me?"

Adila hugged him tighter as the tears fell down her face. Her heart felt like it was being ripped out of her body all over again. Before he had come into her office, she had just completed the call to her parents to tell them the news of her taking the job and moving back to Japan. She had wanted to tell her parents in person, but she had become a craven coward and told them over the phone. She imagined her father would have reacted just like her Uncle had he been with her. Instead, all she could hear was a disconcerting hush on the other end of the phone that was sporadically pierced with the sobs of her broken hearted mother. Why did she feel like she had betrayed all of them?


	17. Her Tragic Lover

It had not taken her long to reacclimatize herself to Japan. Adila had actually missed living here. She believed that was why she liked Los Angeles so much. The constant noise and busyness preoccupied her and kept her from thinking too much. Kira mania had struck during her absence bringing fans of all kinds to the front and center of society. Teru had made it his personal duty to prosecute each and every copycat killer who killed using Kira's name. He was prone to long, sometimes frightening in their emotional intensity, diatribes speaking out against the "low and unworthy fiends who dared to defame the name of Kira." Since he was one of the senior partners and the Kira cases kept their firm in the news, Mr. Okibashi allowed Teru to monopolize her time and services for these cases.

Despite working so closely in the office, Adila had kept their personal interactions away from work to a minimum. She only permitted Teru to take her to lunch on workdays and absolutely no dinners. With dinner came the temptation for a good night kiss at the door, coming in for a drink before going home, and worse yet, an overnight stay. She was not having that for sure.

Teru had been warned that they would not immediately fall back into their relationship, and she meant it. He still lived in his apartment by the river, and she was rather pleased with the small and plain but sophisticated two-story home the company had bought for her across the city from him. The distance between their residences was a very good thing. There was no chance of him stopping by with the excuse that he 'just happened to be in the neighborhood.' Keeping him reined in at the office was easy because it was imperative to him to keep up a professional façade. Dallying with the firm's resident psychological expert would not bode well with the boss, and he could lose his partnership. It did not hurt her feelings one bit that keeping up appearances was more important to him than attempting to seduce her. She preferred it that way.

The first month back, Adila had hoped that she would receive a phone call or an email from L or Shuichi, but none ever came. By the second month she gave up that fantasy of them contacting her and became determined to move on with her life. By August, desperation had set in, and she had gone to the hotel where they had been staying when she was there before to be told they had checked out. She even went to the National Police Agency to see if there was some way she could contact one of the detectives who had been working on the case. There she was informed that all of those detectives no longer worked for the NPA. After that, she had no choice but to give up on trying to contact them and they were apparently not going to attempt to communicate with her so it was time to let it go. Upon reaching that point, she understood Teru's desperate quest to win her back over the last several years. However, she did not have the tenacity, or compulsive personality, he did. She supposed she should concentrate on what to do with her relationship with Teru. It was not fair to keep him guessing, but at the same time, he could have let her go years ago to save himself (and her) the emotional trauma. Maybe they could start dating again after the first of the year, but for now she just wanted to remain platonic friends to mend old wounds from their past and form a completely new relationship with him.

~\..'../~

* * *

_November 5th , Adila Sharvani's Office, Okibashi Building, Japan_

Adila shifted restlessly in her chair. Something was wrong, but she could not figure out what it was. She hated having this sixth sense type of sensitivity when something was off kilter because so far in her life it had never been wrong. She could not concentrate on the evidence laid out on the desk in front of her. They were prosecuting a serial rapist/murderer. The trial would begin next week, and she had a lot of work to do. As heinous as the crimes were, she was glad to be working on something besides a copycat Kira case. She had looked at crime scene photos of the brutally raped and beaten young college girls until tears had filled her eyes. She could not concentrate on the words on the coroner's reports. Her phone rang, and she half-heartedly glanced at the caller ID. _Unknown_ flashed on the screen. Setting it down, she ignored it having had no interest to answer to start with. The same person called back four more times, and she answered it the fifth time out of sheer frustration.

"Hello," she barked impatiently. She grunted the word again when silence was her reply. "I'm hanging up now," she warned the reticent caller.

"Adila, I need to see you," Shuichi murmured into the phone barely above a whisper.

Her spine tingled and she sat forward in her chair. This was it. A dull ache formed in the back of her head as the ominous feeling crept over her that her world as she knew it was about to come to an end. "What is it?"

"Meet me at one of the sake tent stands at eight tonight. I'll find you," he told her and hung up.

It came as no surprise that he knew she was in Japan. L had probably known as soon as she accepted the job position and informed Shuichi of that as well. Adila shivered despite the warmth of her office. She hugged her arms around her body in an attempt to make herself warmer when Teru entered her office. Sometimes it annoyed her that he treated her office as his office, coming and going as he pleased. It reminded her of someone else who used to do that at a hotel.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, rushing to her side. He pressed his hand against her forehead and cheeks as if he were checking for a fever. "Are you sick?"

"I'm really not feeling well," she answered truthfully, avoiding the vigorous scrutiny from his brown eyes.

"Do you need to go home? You can if you like. You've been working really hard and have not taken any breaks," he said, looking down at the nightmarish photos spread across her desk. "You could use some time off from this stuff. An afternoon can't hurt."

"Thank you," she gushed gratefully, grabbing her purse and the dark purple women's trench coat he had bought her. His fascination with trench coats made her speculate sometimes if he was a flasher waiting to happen.

Teru watched her silently as she virtually fled from the office while shrugging on the coat. What was that all about? Why did she look like she had seen a ghost?

...

* * *

Adila arrived early at what she had dubbed 'Sake Row' the first time she found it because the back street was lined with the outdoor tent vendors selling sake along with a limited choice of snacks. She was shocked to find the same sake booth owner was still operating the identical stand where she had met Shuichi. Taking a seat, the owner rushed over with some warm sake for the cold night. She returned his bow after he poured her sake and encouraged her to drink. It was absolutely shocking, but in a good way, that he remembered her after all these years. She savored the warmth of the sake more than the taste on the freezing cold November night. Her second tokkuri of sake arrived at the table at the same time Shuichi did. She shuddered from the feeling of déjà vu because this was just like their first meeting. Standing to her feet, she put her arms around him without a word being exchanged between them. Fear spread from her heart, sending its icy tentacles through her whole body as she held the pale, stricken man.

"Adila, please sit down," he whispered in her ear, sliding his hands down her arms to clasp her hands. He sat close to her, keeping as much of their bodies in contact as possible. Unable to meet her gaze, he closed his eyes as he uttered, "L is dead."

Adila was sure a knife had been thrust into her heart. She had never thought she would see him again, but there had always been that tiny spark of hope hidden deep within her. With a stinging sensation in her chest, she felt that hope die. Her mouth opened to speak, but no words came. Her face twisted into a questioning expression; however, she could not voice the inquiries she wanted to ask.

"We don't know how or who or why. But he had a heart attack and died today," he told her.

"Kira?" she squeaked, her teary eyes searching his.

"We don't know," he whispered, brushing his fingers through her hair.

Adila emitted a strangled sob just before the dam broke behind her eyes spilling tears down her cheeks in warm rivulets. She leaned forward, pressing her face against his shoulder. How could L be dead? He was the best, the brightest, undefeatable, and unrelenting…and dead.

"Shouldn't you be…wherever you're supposed to be?" she sniffled, clinging to Shuichi.

"I was given special permission to visit you. Needless to say, the whole team is in an upheaval right now," he said, turning his head to kiss her cheek.

"Do you have any idea what will happen now that L is gone?" Her eyes searched his as he remained silent and seemed reluctant to answer her. "What? What is it?"

Shuichi swallowed so hard she could see his Adam's apple bob up and down. "Light Yagami will most likely take over as L," he told her, seeing the anger flare in her golden green eyes.

"No. No, he can't," she snarled, baring her teeth. "Ichi, it was him. He's Kira."

"How do you know?"

"Because L always believed it."

They talked in hushed tones about the theories and suppositions her and L had gone over for hours on end when she was staying at the hotel with him. Shuichi told her that somewhere along the line, Light was able to put enough doubt in L's head that his conviction wavered. That was probably what got him killed. They drank and talked, talked and drank until it was not easy for them to stand up. Once again history was repeating itself.

Adila hailed a cab, pulling Shuichi inside with her. She told the driver her address, and he stomped the gas pedal. Laying her head against his shoulder, she took comfort in the strong arm that encircled her shoulders.

"Come in with me," she whispered in his ear when the car turned onto her street.

"Are you sure?" he asked, tipping her chin up until his lips brushed across hers.

"Yes," she responded resolutely. Sitting up straight, she dug in her purse for money and shoved a wad of cash at the driver. She pulled her keys out as she exited the taxi.

"A house all of your own?" Shuichi inquired with disbelief.

"Yes. It was part of my job package," Adila explained, opening the door.

The hardwood floors were so shiny the dim moonlight reflected off of them. Dropping her purse and keys on the long table in the room to her right, she proceeded to the staircase. She did not have to look back to know he was following her because she could hear his footsteps on the wood. Going straight to her bedroom, she left him in the outer room while she went to the bathroom. At this point she had no real expectations for what would happen next. Whatever happened in the next several hours would be set apart in time and space, belonging only to him and her. They had been brought together once again and whether it was permanent or not, it did not matter. Right now was all that mattered and the future would take care of itself. The next day would come no matter what.

Adila undressed and returned to the bedroom wearing only a black silk robe. She was pleased to see Shuichi had made himself at home, taking off everything but his t-shirt and underwear to appear to be somewhat unassuming as to what might occur between them. She snuggled under the covers beside him as his eyes opened and closed sluggishly while he stared blankly at the ceiling.

"Do you want to get under here with me?" she inquired, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Without answering, Shuichi mechanically stood to pull back the blanket to slide in next to her. He pulled her into his arms, cradling her head in the crook of his arm as she snuggled close to him. Adila lay still in his arms listening to the steady cadence of his breathing as his chest rose and fell beneath her cheek. Without even a kiss good-night, they feel asleep enfolded in each other's arms.

...

* * *

Adila awoke to soft kisses being peppered across her face and neck. At first she was not sure what was happening and thought it was dream because her half pickled brain was slow on the uptake. Her eyes fluttered open to meet the deep rich brown orbs of Shuichi Aizawa. She pulled his lips to hers for a proper good morning kiss. The tears formed in her eyes when she remembered why he was with her.

"Don't cry. Please don't cry," he pled with her, kissing her again. He embraced her tightly burying his face in her soft, smooth hair. "I just want this case to end. I'm so tired of the death and heartbreak."

"Can you quit?"

"I wouldn't even if I could. I want to see this thing through and see Kira brought to justice."

Adila drew in a long, shaky breath as his fingers separated the front of her robe. She bit her lower lip as arousal shot straight to the innermost part of her when his lips brushed over the cleavage bared by the robe. A moan passed her lips when his fingers glided over her breast, pushing the silk material out of the way to reveal the brown nipple to him.

"Ichi," she gasped, arching her back into him as his lips covered the sensitive flesh and sucked lightly.

Shuichi held her hips, pushing his manhood against her to show her how much he wanted her. They both had sorrows they needed to drown. In each other, they could find a mutual and willing partner who truly understood their pain. Adila hooked her leg around his hip to hold his rapidly increasing member against her yearning body. Her tongue slid between his parted lips as he pushed his manhood into her. Their simultaneous moans of pleasure joined to make a pleasant melody of sexual satisfaction. Many more followed as he made love to her at a comfortingly unhurried pace seeking solace in her body and finding it from the ecstasy it brought him. He could tell he was having the same effect on her by the occasional vocalizations of bliss. The rate of his thrusts did not increase until the very end when he reached his climax. The sudden, vigorous movements of his hips pushed her over the line to enjoy a wonderfully devastating orgasm as well.

"I wish I could stay with you forever," Shuichi murmured, teasing her lips with his but not completing the kiss. When she issued a grunt of dissatisfaction, he pressed his lips to hers for a breath taking kiss.

"Me too," she rejoined, holding him securely in her arms. For some reason, their timing was never right and their encounters were fleeting yet poignant. A real relationship for them seemed to be out of the question despite their sporadic reappearances in each other's lives. Whatever happened, she knew she would never forget him. She wondered when they would meet again in the future. Under what heart-rending circumstances would they reunite next?


	18. Letting Him Back In

_Christmas Eve, Adila Sharvani's Office, Okibashi Group Building _

Teru thought he was the last person in the office. As he was passing by Adila's door, he saw the sliver of light streaming beneath it into the dark hallway. Why was she still here? They had successfully finished the serial rapist/murderer case today with a guilty verdict. He assumed she would be out celebrating or at least be at her house with a bottle of champagne and a movie. A smile pulled at his lips when he remembered their first Christmas together. She loved the holiday and after that so did he. Once she was gone, he no longer celebrated it though. There was no reason. Since she was back, could there be a chance of celebrating it with her again? Probably not. She had been disappointingly cold and formal with him in the long months that she has been back. He never imagined she actually meant it when she told him they would restart their whole relationship. So far not much progress had been made. An occasional hug was as far as their love life had gotten and she still refused dinner dates whether it be out or at home.

Adila finished pinning the labeled photos of men to the board. She promised herself she would go home after this or she would still be here tomorrow. On her victorious return from the verdict portion of the trial, she had been given the information for a new case involving men that were being murdered in the city. Mr. Okibashi's administrative assistant had told her specifically it could wait until after the holidays, Christmas and New Year's both, since it was a favor for the National Police Agency. She had been ordered to take time off but had refused. Spending the afternoon going over the material, she had already determined the connection between all of the victims which was they were all hosts at some of the lower echelon host clubs in Japan. The killer was targeting these men because they would be the least likely to be missed quickly. At the more popular host clubs, the hosts were like gods among women, coveted and highly paid so their absence would be immediately noticed. There had been sexual activity before each young man met their demise at the hands of a woman. 'At least they went with a smile on their face,' she thought sadistically, glancing at the photos of the men all wearing overly big cheesy grins. Sighing heavily and thinking about the men in her life, she was almost tempted to sympathize with the murderer. Maybe she should talk to Mr. Okibashi about bowing out of the case because it would be a conflict of interests.

The knock on her door startled her because she thought she was alone. Crossing the room with the hurried stride of impatience, Adila opened the door hoping it was one of the cleaning people. Unfortunately it was Teru. She could not stop the noisy sigh of frustration before it escaped her lips. He smiled at her making her remember how cute and charming he could be which caused her to drop her arm and allow him into her office.

"I'm glad you're always so happy to see me," he responded sarcastically, coming in anyway.

"Why are you still here?" she asked, leaving the door open as a hint.

"I could ask you the same thing," he remarked casually, sitting down in one of the dark brown leather chairs in front of her desk. He watched her walk back to the board she used to layout photos and other evidence when she was piecing the puzzle of information together. Since her back was turned to him, he took the opportunity to look her over carefully. His eyes started studying her at her caramel colored hair that she wore in a matronly bun at the nape of her neck on most days, including today. She wore a mint green silk tank top with thin straps; the top looked more like underwear than outerwear. Her tight black skirt clung to her curves in a way that any man would appreciate. His eyes traveled down her brown sugar colored calves to her bare feet. He smiled. Shoes had always been her biggest enemy. He wondered why she ever left Texas or even Los Angeles in the United States. He could picture her running barefoot there in a grassy backyard with a couple of kids and a puppy nipping at her bare toes.

"Why did you come back?" he asked, seeing her back instantly become stiff and straight. "It wasn't for me. Who was it for?"

Adila did not want to answer that question. She had told him from the beginning how things would be and never promised him anything except that she would not accept him right back into her arms or her bed. Choosing to ignore the question, she pretended to look at the pictures while pondering over something. A yelp of fear and surprise refused to be restrained when he grabbed her by the arm and whirled her around to face him.

"I want to know why," he demanded, his dark eyes boring into hers.

"It was for me. I did it to prove something to myself," she told him being only halfway truthful.

Adila had indeed wanted to prove to herself that she could resist him and his magnetism. She did want to give him a second chance but under her terms and so far he had lived up to those terms. After L's death and her night with Shuichi, it had been tempting to run straight back into his arms. The temptation had been averted by her drawing further away from him and avoiding him at all costs. She could no longer run since he had her cornered, quite literally, in her office. The other half of her reason was simply because it was a really good offer and career move that she did not want to decline. With this job, she could use the other half of her major, her hard earned degree in law.

"Adila," Teru murmured, touching her cheek lightly with his fingertips. "I still want you. I still love you. I've been able to fall in love with you all over again these last few months. Please tell me if you are going to allow me a second chance or keep me hanging on."

Adila hesitated, looking into his eyes. Her stomach fluttered nervously as she tried to comprehend the emotion held in his eyes. It seemed he did love her. It was strong, obsessive love but was it real, lasting, and healthy from a psychological standpoint? She held her breath when he bent to press his lips to hers. Her hands buried themselves in his silky black hair as her body reacted to him in shocking way. The emotional release came in euphoric rush that left her lightheaded and feeling disconnected from reality. She had read in many psychology books this was the feeling cocaine addicts get from their first hit of the drug. Their brain as well as the body are instantly hooked on that rush of instant gratification that sends them into the atmosphere. She was afraid she had just experienced the same thing with Teru.

"Will you be mine?" he mumbled against her lips, holding her body to his.

"Yes," she answered without a bit of uncertainty.

Teru kissed her again. This time he asserted his dominance by pushing his tongue between her lips to taste every inch of her mouth. She tasted like the rose tea she cherished. It had become her favorite since her return to Japan. He had been watching her, noticing things, making mental checklists of her likes and dislikes. She had changed tremendously since their first try at a relationship and he understood the wisdom of getting to know her again. It had been like learning and loving a whole new woman but with the tender familiarity of it being his soul mate. She had returned to him, and he would never let her go again.

"Come home with me," Teru murmured between pecks on her lips.

"I can't," Adila gasped before he covered her mouth completely with his. She grunted when he released her hair from the bun to rake his fingers through it.

"Please," he begged, pulling her hair a tad to make her lean her head back.

"No," she gulped, wanting to say yes so very much.

The flicks of his tongue across her neck followed by tantalizing nips was destroying her resolve with each delectable thrill of arousal it sent racing through her body. She closed her eyes and gathered the last shreds of self-control she possessed. Pushing him away, she retreated to her desk to gather her jacket and purse to leave.

"Come to my house tomorrow for dinner. Be there at seven. I know you won't be late." Adila moved toward him, giving him one last kiss before dashing out of the door.

Teru stood stunned and alone in her office staring at the door long after she was gone. Dinner? He smiled from the invitation that he would definitely be accepting. It was a good start.

~\0/~

* * *

Adila was putting the finishing touches on dinner when the doorbell rang. She looked at her watch and smiled. Taking off her apron, she ran to the living room then forced herself to walk to answer the door. Her day had been spent in excited anticipation of his arrival tonight. She was looking forward to this more than she had thought she would. Apparently, she needed another fix, another 'hit' of him, just like any addict. Brushing her fingers through her hair nervously, she wiggled her whole body as if to rid herself of the nervous energy building within her. With a pleasant smile on her lips, she opened the door.

"What the hell…" she gasped completely bumfuzzled when a tree filled her vision rather than Teru's handsome face.

"I brought you a present!" Teru announced from somewhere behind the greenery.

"Teru! What is this?" she inquired, stepping back so he could bring in the four foot tall live tree.

"It's a tree," he replied purposely being droll. He handed her the bag containing the decorations.

Adila was astonished when she looked into the bag and saw the ornaments she had bought so many years ago for their first tree. She was thrilled with his unexpected present because she had not decorated for Christmas. Since she was not feeling festive and she would be by herself, she had not bothered with the effort. His exceeding thoughtfulness had unquestionably put her in the mood to celebrate.

"Where should I put this?" he asked, looking around for a suitable location.

"Right there," she told him, pointing to the table in front of the big picture window in her living room. "We can decorate it after dinner."

Dinner was a quiet, subdued experience where they made small talk while they ate just like they did on their lunch hours at work. They always made it a point to avoid conversations about work; that had been a rule they established early on to avoid focusing on their jobs too much. The only time they were allowed to talk about cases or anything connected with them was at the office or the law building. After dinner they went to the living room to decorate the tree.

"Remember this?" Teru queried, holding out the angel to her.

"Yes, I remember," she replied, taking the delicate ornament from him. Her eyes filled with tears as she stroked the white wings made of real feathers.

"Don't cry, Adila. Everything will be all right," he murmured, brushing his fingers across her cheek.

Adila wanted to believe to him. She gave him a shaky smile before turning her attention to the ornaments waiting to be hung on the tree. Grateful for the distraction of the task of decorating the tree, she did not think about the fear that grew within her: the fear of giving in to him too soon. Maybe she already has. Extending her arm to place the first ornament, a clear ball containing a figurine of the Prince and Clara from the Nutcracker Suite, her mind filled with the memory of when he surprised her with tickets to that play for their first Christmas. She held her breath when his hand covered hers to assist her with hanging the fragile ball. Her throat constricted from the powerful emotions threatening to overwhelm her because the nostalgia from the flood of memories was becoming too much. She managed to tamp down the tidal wave of diametrically opposed emotions before she drowned in them while dissolving into tears.

What was supposed to be fun became a solemn occasion for revisiting old recollections and to reminisce about the way things once were. No words were spoken because both of them were too busy getting lost in the past. After finishing the tree, Adila plugged in the lights and they stepped back to view the fruits of their labors. She felt his arm slide around her waist as they viewed the lovely twinkling lights making the glass icicles sparkle in all colors of the rainbow.

Teru pressed his lips to her cheek, nuzzling her gently. "I need to leave."

Adila bit her lip to keep herself from asking him to stay. It was best to let him go. But just for tonight.


	19. New Year, New Start

Adila stood at the window in Teru's living room watching the fireworks over the river. She inhaled sharply in surprise when his hand appeared over her shoulder. With a grateful smile, she took the jade colored teacup from him. He had kept her cups and saucers; they were the only possessions he had refused to send to her when she had returned to Texas. Inhaling the luscious aroma of the rose tea, her smile morphed into a sentimental, pensive grin. The last few days had been wonderful. She had spent time with him every day engaging in everything from shopping to making a snowman in her back yard. Her feelings had grown exponentially for him in the sweet, romantic moments they shared making new memories.

"How is it?" Teru asked, standing beside her to watch the fireworks.

"Hmmm?" she questioned. She had been too preoccupied with her thoughts to hear the question.

"How is your tea? It is your favorite, right?" he inquired as if he did not know.

"It's wonderful. Thank you," she responded, taking another luscious sip.

"Adila, could you ever love me again?" he queried, staring out of the window.

'I think I already do,' she thought to herself. Crossing the living room, she set her teacup on the coffee table. A gasp tore from her lips when she turned to find him standing in front of her. Her eyes met his dark brown ones while he slid one arm around her waist and took her chin between the thumb and forefinger of his other hand. She had no choice but to maintain eye contact with him as he silently probed the depths of her golden green eyes. Was he looking for the answer to his question? Her body trembled as she remained under his direct and penetrating scrutiny. She wanted – no, needed – him to kiss her. Her hands went to his waist holding on tightly.

Without a word, Teru pressed his lips to hers. He did not want to break the sensual spell that had fallen over them by speaking. His mind had been replaying a New Year's Eve from a long time ago: their first New Year's Eve, the first time he had made love to her. History should repeat itself tonight. Things had been falling back into place since Christmas Eve. He had almost made her his again. All that remained was for her to take that final step with him – to make love to him.

Adila sighed with sensuous contentment when his tongue languidly slid between her lips. She had always loved his slow, enticing kisses. Every muscle in her body tightened and she heated up deep within as his tongue inquisitively explored her mouth, discovering every part on its delightfully stimulating journey. She groaned when his hands slid under her purple sweater, pulling it upwards as his fingers drifted over her skin. The prickly, sensitive flesh rising was like small bursts of fire igniting over her body.

Teru could feel her shaking beneath his touch. His fingers grazed the slightly rough, bumpy fabric of her lace bra. Two significantly larger bumps rose when his fingers brushed over her nipples. He broke the kiss to pull her sweater over her head. Holding her around the waist with one arm, he bent his head to her breast after pushing back the fabric of her bra with his fingers.

"Teru," she gushed in a breathy voice when his warm wet tongue hungrily licked over the erect nipple. Her unsteady fingers went to the buttons on his shirt, having some difficulty but eventually managing to undo the buttons as he moved to the other breast to lick the nipple.

Teru raised his head to kiss her so he could shrug off his shirt. He could not help but smirk smugly from her harsh intake of air when she looked at his body. All those hours he had spent at the gym had made a difference. It excited him to see and hear her reaction to his improved body. His hand cradled the back of her head as he watched her look him over with an open and erotic curiosity.

Adila pressed her hands to his well-defined chest with his strength on full display. She kissed the bulging pectoral muscle feeling it quiver under her lips. Her hands slid over his belly, her fingers playing over each hard ridge that formed his strong abdominals. Sliding around his waist, her hands moved upwards to glide across the distinct musculature of his back. It was amazing and arousing what he had done to his body. Burying the fingers of one of her hands in his hair, she pulled his lips down to hers by tugging lightly on his hair while her other hand glided over the muscles to feel him all over. At his waist, she turned her wrist, slipping her fingers under his waistband when he inhaled deeply.

"Adila," he gasped, clutching her shoulders when her fingers enclosed his hardened member. Her boldness was stimulating him more than he thought it would.

Adila pushed him toward the couch, removing her hand from his pants so he could sit down. She took off her skirt and underwear while he got rid of his pants and underwear. Straddling his lap, she held herself up while he positioned his member beneath her. Once she felt the head pressed against her body, she began the process of her lowering herself onto him.

"Oh, god," Teru mumbled in a choked gasp.

Adila kissed him, relishing the feel of him inside her body. She rotated her hips, making him moan helplessly as the pleasure overtook him. Her hips rocked in a gentle rhythm while her tongue met his for a playful yet carnally inspiring battle. She moved faster when his fingers dug into her behind signaling his rise in pleasure. Her body responded in kind, pushing her one step closer to a delightful end. She smiled when his hands gripped her hips, moving her faster when she did not speed up. The leisurely, pleasing lovemaking began to turn into something more demanding and obsessive, making them pant for air as they both extended themselves to press toward the impending orgasm. With a hungry kiss she pushed them both to that final end which left them in a devastated breathless heap, clinging to each other while they shivered from the strength of the physical pleasure.

"Adila, I can't live without you anymore. I love you," he panted, kissing her with a remarkable hunger.

Adila could not return the sentiment yet. Offering him a kiss of apology, she rose from the couch to gather her clothes. A strong hand on her shoulder stopped her before she could begin dressing.

"Please, don't go," Teru pled with her, taking the clothes from her hand. He drew her naked body to his, embracing her tightly. "Don't leave me. Just stay."

"I really shouldn't. I need to –"

"No, you don't. Let me make love to you again…please."

Adila held her breath as his beguiling lips went to her neck. After a few kisses and nips, she was convinced to stay and more than willing for him to take her to the heights of pleasure all over again. She permitted him to lead her to his bed where he took her for another mind-blowing adventure in sex. They had celebrated the coming of the New Year with a meeting of their bodies and emotions, once again joining their lives.

~\..'../~

* * *

Adila walked into her office on Valentine's Day to find a gorgeous porcelain tea set sitting on her desk. A single, dark pink rose decorated each item of the set from the teapot to the saucer. A box of her favorite rose tea was included. She picked up the plain white card attached to the handle of the tea pot that bore a single quote: _"A life filled with love, must have some thorns, but a life empty of love will have no roses." _With a smile on her face, she picked up each fragile item, inspecting it carefully. Disappointment flooded her when she picked up the sugar bowl and heard a loose rattle that implied something had been broken. Lifting the lid, she expected to see a huge chip of porcelain in the bottom. She found something quite different and even more disturbing instead.

"Oh, my god," she gasped as she stared at the ring lying on the bottom of her bowl. Carefully setting the fragile porcelain bowl down on the desk before she dropped it, she reached inside with trembling fingers to retrieve the plain diamond solitaire engagement ring.

"Do you like your present?" Teru asked, making a sudden appearance in her office like a phantom from beyond.

Adila was too stunned by the ring to react in any form. The only fear she felt was from what the object in her hand stood for. Marriage had never been a priority for her, and years ago it became a dream that she had chosen to forget entirely. All she could do was shiver and stare at the ring as if it were a deadly creature about to attack her. Her gaze shifted back to him when he called her name.

"Well? Will you marry me?" he queried, his smile fading when she did not answer after a long moment. "Adila?"

Adila finally found the will to move but not her voice to answer his question. Dropping the ring back into the sugar bowl, she rushed past him to flee the room. It was nearly impossible to breathe, and she felt as if she did not run now she would die right there in her office. Forsaking the elevator and not caring that her office was on the top floor of the building, she ran to the stairwell. The adrenaline pumping through her system was enough to carry her down the numerous flights of stairs without fatigue and without stopping. Bursting through the emergency exit, she continued to run across the parking lot. She was not sure where she was running to and did not really care as long as it was away from Teru.

"Adila!" His voice carried across the parking lot to her. The anxiety and distress in his voice made her stop.

Adila whirled around, not holding back the tears but allowing them to flow freely down her cold face. She collapsed to her knees when tiredness settled over since the adrenaline had been spent getting her to this point on the far side of the parking lot from the building.

"What's wrong with you?" He knelt down in front of her to hold her, unconcerned about soiling his dark green suit pants which was shocking.

"I can't! I can't marry you!" she sobbed, evident panic in her voice.

"Okay. It's all right. Then don't," he rejoined, keeping almost all of the anger out of his voice. He had never dreamed she would have such an adverse reaction to a proposal. In the usual progression of relationships, engagement then marriage were the next steps. Apparently, he had forgotten theirs was not the typical relationship.

Adila was unsure as to why the possibility of getting married frightened her so terribly. Perhaps it was because of what happened between them the first time. Maybe it was because of what she had heard from Shuichi about his failing marriage. She did not want to have to endure anything like a messy divorce. Divorces, even when wanted, were always miserable and painful. It was better to not get married in the first place which she had resolved to do a long time ago.

"Calm down. Come back to the office," he urged her gently, helping her to her feet.

Once they were back in her office, Teru put her new tea set to use. He made the tea instead of her while she sat and shivered in shock at her desk. He did not speak a word to her until she had drunk her first cup of the rose tea and ceased shaking. Setting his cup and saucer down on the desk, he silently contemplated what to do next as he looked at her.

"Where do we go from here, Adila? Please tell me because I have no idea," he muttered, unable to hide the bitterness in his voice. He jumped to his feet, striding to the window because it was too painful to look at her anymore. His heart could not take much more hurt from her. "I thought this was what you wanted."

"You thought wrong," she responded emotionlessly which made it seem that much more cruel.

Teru spun around to glare at her. She could have at least had the decency to say those harsh words with sadness or anger or some kind of feeling. No emotional outburst meant she felt nothing whatsoever which was more heart-wrenching than any reaction she could have had.

"What do you want from me?" he asked.

"Nothing more than your love, Teru," she answered, confusing him even further.

"What?" He threw up his hands with a growl in frustration. She was contradicting herself in words and actions. It was really starting to piss him off.

Adila stood up, swiftly closing the distance between them to claim his mouth in a soul-stirring kiss. She needed him to need her. It had become obvious to her they shared a codependent relationship and had to be together to function no matter what psychologically distorted level it was on.

"I won't marry you, but I'll be yours. I love you," she whispered, grunting when he crushed his mouth to hers for a forceful, controlling kiss.

"Welcome back, my goddess."


	20. Talk of gods and Goddesses

_Four Years Later, Teru Mikami's Office, Okibashi Group Building_

Teru stared at the unmarked manila envelope on his clean and perfectly straight desk. The brownish orange envelope sat on the dark green blotter like a beacon of hope filling his vision and his mind. This was what he had been waiting for since receiving the call. The heavens had opened and smiled upon him because he had been recognized by his god. He had been so euphoric upon receiving the call he thought he had died and gone to heaven already. He still remembers how his heart beat faster with fear and elation upon hearing that odd, electronic sounding voice. There had never been a sweeter sound on this earth.

"_Is this Teru Mikami?" the robotic voice inquired._

_Teru almost hung up thinking it was a crank caller who just wanted to deliver another threat against his life. He had grown accustomed to receiving those from family members or lovers of the criminals he put behind bars._

"_This is Kira," the voice had gone on to say just before his finger pressed the red end button._

"_God?" he asked to receive and affirmative response._

"_Yes, Teru, it is I, your god." _

Kira had heard his pleas and responded. Teru had been given the gift of Kira's awesome power to help him. The blessing was sitting right in front of him on his desk. It had become his responsibility to assist the powerful god with ridding the world of unsavory degenerates and offenders of humanity. He could kill just like Kira; all he had to do was wait for the directives from his god. It was the most wonderful thing to happen to him – ever.

...

Adila had just completed setting the table when Teru arrived home. They had been living together for three years in her company bought house. She was still stubbornly refusing his marriage proposals every time he asked. It had been at least six months since the last request so it should be coming up again, although she doubted it would because something had changed in him. He had been acting strangely ever since that detestable Kira's Kingdom program began to air on Sakura TV. He had even gone to be a part of the studio audience a few times. She had less than politely declined when he asked her to come with him instead choosing to stay home. She knew who Kira really was and wanted nothing to do with him. It angered her that Teru would not listen to her pleas to not be a part of the Kira madness but he was too far entrenched into it. He was hooked by the idea of Kira and what he stood for just like so many other people in the cultish following that had developed around the merciless killer. She had the distinct feeling she had been replaced by Kira as the most important person in Teru's life.

Adila was surprised and happy with the passionate kiss he lavished upon her. She tried to pull away from him only to be held tightly when he picked her up and set her down on the table.

"Teru!" she cried out, shoving his hands away when he pushed up her skirt.

"Oh, come on, Adila," he begged, covering her mouth with his to silence her objections.

Adila moaned helplessly into the ravishing kiss, giving in to him as he pushed her skirt up to her hips. She shrieked when he snatched her panties off, easily breaking the flimsy pieces of elastic and delicate lace. He had been shockingly aggressive as of late using sex to demonstrate his dominance, whether real or perceived, over her. She liked the authority he showed in bed because it was always a pleasurable experience for her. Crying out his name when he thrust into her, she was sure this time would be no different. She held onto him, looking at his handsome face as he closed his eyes tightly and made love to her with an uncompromising, almost violent, vigor. Who was he thinking about? A disturbing image formed in her head when she thought of the conceited and vicious Light Yagami. She pictured Teru pushing into him with the enraptured delight that was displayed on his face at this moment. She had to switch her mind to other thoughts before she vomited. Her erotic mood was dead, exterminated with a thought of that bastard who had slain L and countless others. And what a ghastly thought it had been.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" he panted when he was done.

Adila pushed him away, walking to the kitchen. "Nothing. I'll finish getting dinner ready."

"Great! I'm starving. Can you bring it to me in the living room? Kira's Kingdom is about to start," he informed her, hearing a loud crash seconds later. He dashed to the kitchen, seeing the casserole dish and their dinner on the floor.

"Oh, sorry. I guess you'll have to find something else to eat," she said, trying but failing miserably to sound apologetic.

"Are you all right?" he asked, studying her pale face that was plastered with a troubled expression.

"Um, not really. I'm feeling sick. I'm going to the pharmacy for a few things," she told him, moving past him to get her coat and purse.

"If you can't find me when you get back I'll be in my study. I received a very important document today that I have to go over immediately," he said, following her to the door.

Teru was not exactly lying. There was just no need to tell her that he had received the Death Note promised to him and had been appointed by Kira to assist with his important work. That was between him and his god only. He kissed her on the cheek before she left only to remind her she belonged to him. He was not worried about eating. Kira was the only thing he needed in this world.

...

Adila found herself on Sake Row, searching for the specific tent that had brought her so much comfort and alcohol through the years. She had no intention of going to the pharmacy. It had been her excuse to get out of the house. Heading to her usual table, Mr. Fushima, the owner, was at her table with her sake before her butt hit the chair. She smiled and bowed to the man who had the kindest smile she had ever seen. He was so polite and always thoughtful whenever she showed up. Her phone buzzed and she ignored it. Teru could go to hell. With a wry grin on her lips, she thought to herself he could follow his god, Kira, straight there. Her phone vibrated against her side again as she gulped down the warm sake on the freezing cold night in late November. When she could no longer ignore the phone, she snatched it out of her pocket to turn it off. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw unknown on the caller ID. Could it possibly be the one man who blocked his number when he called?

"Hello," she mumbled.

"Adila," Shuichi replied.

Adila felt as if a sledgehammer had slammed into her belly. Feeling breathless and light headed, she closed her eyes to make the world stop spinning. It was him. How did he always know when she needed him most? It was uncanny and almost terrifying how he always showed up in her life when she needed a hero the most.

"I need to see you," he said, sounding as if he were whispering to keep his voice from being heard by other people in the room.

"Yeah. I was just thinking the same thing," she sniffed, wiping away the tears that froze on her cheeks from the icy winter wind blowing across them. "I'm at our place. Come see me."

...

Adila looked up and could not believe what she saw. Shuichi had gotten rid of his signature afro for a super short style that looked messy because of the insane amount of curl in his hair. He had a beard and moustache trimmed in a very flattering van dyke style. She had always thought he was handsome but he had become absolutely sexy to her with the passage of time and the change in his style. She had always found him irresistible, and her body was responding on a physical level to that magnetic pull he always exerted on her.

"Oh, my god, you're gorgeous," he gasped, speaking the words she was unable to voice. His fingers ran through her honey colored hair that was cut in an easy to take care of short style. He had never cared much for short hair but he liked it on her. There was still plenty to clutch should he have the opportunity to make love to her.

"Shuichi," she murmured wanting to embrace him but unable to move.

"I had to see you. I happened to be away from headquarters and thought I would take a chance on calling you," he explained, pulling a chair close to her before sitting down. "I've been to see someone to tell him about Light. His name is Near. He's like L. I'm so sorry I did not believe L sooner. I could have prevented his death if I had."

"Don't do that," she whispered, clutching her hand. "Don't hurt yourself like that. I believe Light would have killed him no matter what."

Adila experienced a flood of emotions she could not quite comprehend. She was elated yet sorrowful to see Shuichi. His admission that he believed L after all this time made her feel relieved and angry all at once. She wanted to cry again but there were too many conflicting emotions to allow it. Then there was Teru. That crazy bastard. Her eyes closed as if to keep the contents of her stomach down when nausea rolled over her like a tidal wave.

"Adila? What is it? Say something. Please," Shuichi implored her, taking both of her icy hands in his. He pulled them to his mouth, blowing on them to help warm them up.

Adila was thankful for the warmth he was imparting to her, feeling it soaking into her frozen body. "Shuichi, I've made a terrible mistake."

"What do you mean?" he asked, squeezing her hands like the apprehension squeezing his heart.

"I went back to Teru." She opened her eyes, staring at the man holding her hands who seemed unfazed by her admission.

"You didn't marry him did you?" he inquired, the anxiety making his voice an octave too high.

"Oh, hell, no. I screwed up but I didn't lose my mind completely. Speaking of marriage, what's the status of yours?" She raised her hand with two fingers up to relay to Mr. Fushima to bring them two tokkuris full of sake.

"It's over. I've been divorced for a year. I had taken some time off for a while before L died. I was afraid I was beginning to lose my mind. We found the Death Note and saw the Shinigami and…"

"Wait, what?" she inquired, not sure he had not experienced a fracture in his psyche.

Adila sat in stunned silence as he explained to her what a Death Note and a Shinigami are. The Death Note is a killer notebook owned by the Shinigami or death god. Anyone whose name is written down in the notebook dies of a heart attack in the forty seconds. Her head began to ache as he continued to explain the rest of the rules of the Death Note, getting into more specific details. She had to stop him since the information had become too much to process.

"Stop, please! I can't hear anymore. Have you been to a psychologist?" she asked, sincerely concerned for his mental health. Between the pressure and stress of the Kira case and his divorce, he had obviously been separated from his sanity at some point.

"I'm looking at one right now," he responded smartly, giving her a charming smile that soothed her nerves.

"Haha, don't be so damn cute," she retorted, wanting to be angry with him but unable to from the cocky grin on his face.

"Anyway, during my few months off we tried. We tried really hard, but it just didn't work. She said that she had enough and did not want to be a cop's wife anymore. She filed for divorce and I went back to the case. It was all pretty simple and relatively easy. I hope I can see my children again someday," He stated with a heart wrenching sorrow in his voice.

"Children?" she queried, sucking down another cup of sake.

"I have a daughter and a son. She had gotten pregnant when I could still go home during the case before. She was pregnant while I was confined with L. I didn't know until I went home. She had not wanted me to know," he told her, avoiding her profound gaze.

"Oh." She was tempted to drink out of the tokkuri but poured and drank three cups of sake in rapid succession to empty the bottle.

"How are things with Teru?" he asked, receiving the loud barking laugh of the stinking drunk and emotionally wounded in return.

"I've been replaced," she declared in a slurred voice, elaborating when he stared at her blankly. "I am no longer his goddess. I have been replaced with a god. The god of a new world. Kira."

Shuichi blanched physically at the mention of Kira. The thought of Kira made him ill at ease since he had finally admitted the true identity of the killer who had become an icon to a generation. He was not necessarily afraid for his life, otherwise he would have never have went to Near. However, he would prefer not to die if at all possible. He had given up hope on everything until he came to the conclusion through evidence and his own observations that Light was Kira. Knowing that had given him a reason to continue to the struggle, to strive for something. If a murderous beast could change the world, so could the one who wanted to bring him to justice. Therefore he had contacted Near and pledged to help him whenever possible to expose Light as Kira.

Adila looked at her watch. Sobering up was not a problem when she saw that two hours had passed since she had left the house. Jumping to her feet, she grabbed her purse. With a short, strong embrace coupled with a brief kiss, she bid Shuichi good-bye. She took some small comfort in the fact that he promised to contact her again soon. The whole way home she struggled to think of excuse for her long absence.

Upon arriving home, Adila found Teru in his study just like he had told her. Uneasiness made her stomach clench when she tried the knob on the door and it would not turn. He never locked his study door. Pressing her ear to the door she could hear him chuckling to himself while whispering something over and over like a mantra. Straining to hear, she pressed harder against the door.

"Delete, delete, delete, delete," Teru chanted intermingled with the occasional maniacal titter.

What was he doing in there? Adila could hear the scratch of pen on paper but her muddled mind did not make the connection between the sound and the lethal notebook Shuichi had told her about.


	21. The Traitors

Adila cringed when Teru put his arm around her. She had not slept much last night and had lain awake for hours waiting for the alarm to go off. He had told her his secret. Kira had contacted him and entrusted him with that damn lethal note book. It was his weapon to use but only as ordered by Kira. He had even demonstrated its frightening power by murdering Demegawa and his lackeys during the broadcast of Kira's Kingdom. If she had not been so terrified, she would have been happy. It had worked just as Shuichi had explained to her. She shivered uncontrollably with the thought of Light Yagami pulling the strings on her boyfriend like he was a stupid puppet. Teru had made love to her after the startling revelation and once again she was left doubting if he was thinking of her at all. She felt sick when he pulled her against him and his erect member lay against her back. Did he dream about Kira? That would be the only reason he would want her again. She wiggled out of his arms and slipped out of the bed. The last thing she wanted to do right now was have sex with him. What would he do if she told him she not only knew the identity of his personal god but could even introduce him? She would never tell him because the possibilities terrified her.

~\0/~

* * *

Adila's phone vibrated in the middle of the weekly staff meeting of Okibashi Group. She had been daydreaming about Shuichi Aizawa, pondering when she would see him again. Unknown blinked at her on the caller ID, beckoning her to answer it. She needed to talk to him, but she was stuck in this damn meeting. Thinking quickly, she grabbed her stomach and jumped to her feet.

"Excuse me, I am so terribly sorry but I – " Adila faked a stomach churning gag, pretending to heave as if she were going to vomit on the board room table.

The horrified men in the room were unable to comment as she sprinted out the door. Ducking into the restroom, she went to the last stall on the end, furthest from the door. When her phone began to vibrate again, she quickly punched the answer button.

"Shuichi," she gasped, gripping the phone that was her lifeline to him.

"Find a way to get out of the house tonight. I need to talk to you. It's important. Our usual place," he rattled off swiftly, hanging up without permitting her to say a word.

Adila stared at her phone in shock. When was it _not_ important when he called? What could it be this time?

...

"I want to take you to Near. I think you should talk to him," Shuichi told her as they sipped sake.

He carefully watched her face, surprised when there was no reaction. Something had happened. There was something she was not telling him. He had noticed upon seeing her that she appeared pale and tired. Her eyebrows were drawn together in a semi-permanent expression of deep thought. Reaching out to her, he massaged the area from her above her nose to her hairline as if to wipe away the worry on her face. He received a slight smile in return that was anything but happy.

"I do too," she agreed, finishing off her cup of sake. "When will we go?"

"Finish that and I'll take you. I was on my way to see him," he said, refilling her cup.

Why would she so willingly turn against her boyfriend? Shuichi had expected resistance and a few choice words from the spunky woman but something had stolen her spark. His anxiety escalated as he waited for her to spell out her reason for tranquil compliance.

"Teru has a notebook. He's the one who killed Demegawa and the others. Light ordered him to do it," she mumbled, her hand shaking as she brought the cup to her lips.

Shuichi froze with the cup of sake halfway to his mouth. He stared at her with wide, round eyes. A wave of nausea rushed over him with a surprising intensity. She was in imminent danger or did she even know that? Did she blindly trust the fool who had fallen under Light's spell not to hurt her? He knew how manipulative and cunning Light could be. He had been convinced by the suave pretender himself once that he was just a dedicated son then a dedicated cop like the rest of them. It was all bullshit, and Light was the true life wolf in sheep's clothing right in the middle of the stupid, trusting flock. This boyfriend of hers sounded like a whack job years ago. He could only imagine how the man must be now that he had become a devout disciple of Kira. Although he loved Adila, he knew she could be quite the idiot when it came to emotional matters. Her being with Teru again was evidence of that fact. Whatever hold that man had on her, he had to help her. He would venture to guess that made him an idiot as well, but he could not stop how he felt about her.

"Let's go now," he muttered, grabbing her hand and pulling her from the table.

The sake would have to wait. They would order a case of champagne when this thing was over.

...

"You're kidding right?" Adila demanded when the blond woman named Halle tried to blindfold her.

"No. If you want to see Near you have to wear this," the woman rejoined stubbornly.

"We're in the middle of a damn parking lot," she groused being just as obstinate.

"I will be taking you to an undisclosed location. Mr. Aizawa I suggest you get your girlfriend under control or she will be left here…unconscious so she cannot follow us," the blonde returned, her golden eyes holding a menacing gleam.

"Adila, please, just do it. It's important you come," Shuichi said, ignoring the girlfriend comment.

"All right," she sighed with reluctant submission.

After they were both blindfolded, they were led to a car. They were taken on a twisting, turning path. Shuichi warned her not to count turns or try to remember the route because they would never find it again anyway. He had tried before and failed only to discover too late the driver doubled back at some point and drove around the same block two or three times to make it impossible to recreate the route.

Adila could tell she was helped out of the car by a man when they reached the hidden, super-secret base of operations for the Special Provision for Kira. The person was tall and strong with large hands that easily pulled her from the car to set her on her feet. She smelled an odd mixture of wet earth, diesel fuel, and something metallic she could not identify. It was quiet except for the sound of an engine; she surmised it was a generator for power. Were they at an old army bunker in the middle of the forest? She was pushed gently by the unidentified man when she would not move. It was not time to remove the blindfold yet.

The pneumatic hiss of a door sliding open met her ears before the click of her heels along with another pair belonging to Halle and the muted scuffle of men's shoes echoed along the hallway that sounded metal. It had to be military type building with metal floors. What an acoustical nightmare. The four of them sounded like a rock drummer had gone berserk from the sound they were making walking down the hall. It was for sure sneaking into this place would have to be a well thought out and planned procedure. After another air-filled hiss, they were led into a room and the blindfolds were removed at last.

"Adila!" a familiar voice yelled her name. Before her eyes could adjust to the bright lights in the room, she was smashed against the chest of a human wall with blond hair. "Honey, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Uncle Anthony?" she inquired, shielding her eyes from the blinding fluorescent lights covering the ceiling.

"I can't believe it. When you went back to that moron I thought none of us would ever see you again," he stated, not noticing or not caring that he embarrassed her. Her dark red, almost purple face would be hard to ignore so it had to be the latter.

"Mr. Rester, who is this?" a voice from behind him queried.

When her Uncle stepped out of the way, Adila saw a young boy sitting in the middle of a train track on the floor. Her eyes met his eyes that appeared black because of his dilated pupils. She stared at him as he twisted a snow white lock of his short shaggy hair around his finger. He did indeed remind her of L from the blatant scrutiny she was under from those dark eyes to the beginning of dark rings underneath from insomnia. Sleeplessness must be an unfortunate side effect of being the super intelligent.

"Near, this is my niece Adila Rester," Anthony introduced her to the stoic platinum blonde. He used her real last name instead of Sharvani to avoid having to give an unnecessary explanation.

"Niece, huh?" he returned skeptically without taking his eyes off her.

"Genius detective, huh? I've met your kind before. How old are you? Ten?" she shot back snarkily to receive a strange smirk of amusement in return.

"Not that it matters but I'm seventeen. And I'm L's successor. His true successor," he stated with pride leaking into his voice.

"Yes, you are. Not that asshole Light Yagami," she snapped.

"So you know he is Kira too?" he inquired, genuine interest showing on his face.

"Yes, I do. I want to help you any way I can," she responded, moving toward him. She knelt down on the other side of the train track to be face to face with him when he would not move from his half kneeling position with one knee drawn under his chin. "Here is what I know…"

Adila proceeded to tell him about Teru and the notebook. She divulged the details about the night he showed her its power. She listed any personality quirks and habits that might help them plus giving a thorough account of his daily schedule including his routine visits to the gym at exactly nine PM every week night. When she was finished, she stood up to walk back to her Uncle.

"Miss Rester, you should not return home," Near suggested, staring at her intently.

"She has to go back. Otherwise Mikami will kill her with the notebook," Shuichi said, sounding much calmer than he felt.

"No. If Kira doesn't order it, he won't write my name down," she countered, placing her hand against his chest as if to reassure him.

It did not work. Shuichi was still convinced the Kira-lover would kill her without a second thought and without an order from his god. There was a fine line between love and hate. If she abandoned Teru, he would kill her because she would cross that line into hate. She would already be a traitor in Mikami's eyes just like he was being a traitor to Light. They were both defying the new god of this world and would deserve to die in the minds of both of the psychos.

"We could fake her death. She would be safe if Mikami thought she was already dead, right? A car accident or something," he proposed, hoping the half pint prodigy would agree.

"I see your point, Mr. Aizawa. Mr. Gevanni," Near called.

Adila watched as the man with short black hair and light blue eyes stepped forward dutifully. He was the one who had taken her from the car and led her inside. She watched him while he waited for Near to voice his instructions.

"Can you make that car accident happen?" Near asked.

Adila felt a cold chill run down her spine when the man turned his almost colorless blue eyes on her and grinned eerily. She clutched Shuichi who was holding on to her just as tightly.

"I can do it. Trust me…you'll be dead in no time," he said to her, his smile widening which intensified its unnerving quality. "Or at least Mikami will think so."

"I also want you to keep a watch on Mr. Mikami. It will not be difficult since Miss Rester has been so accommodating as to provide us with his full schedule," the diminutive white haired adolescent added, staring at her again.

"Got it!" Gevanni returned, raising his hand in a wave as he walked out of the room.

"Mr. Rester, why don't you show your niece to a room?" Near ordered politely, turning his attention to Shuichi. "Mr. Aizawa, what information do you have for me?"

Shuichi took the opportunity to press a swift kiss to her lips. "I'll talk to you before I leave," he assured her, casting a glance at her Uncle who nodded to give his approval.

Adila embraced him briefly before letting him go to follow her Uncle.

"Who's that?" Anthony asked as they walked down the hallway.

"With any luck, he will be the man who steals me away from Teru Mikami," she answered bluntly, ignoring her Uncle's gape. She questioned if Shuichi had not had her heart all along and Teru had only been some kind of sick fascination.

"Hmmm…I like him already." He took her to the end of the hall where he pressed a button to open the door to a room.

Adila glanced around the small but functional room. Everything was made of shiny steel and very institutional just like any military establishment. There was a bed, a nightstand, and a dresser in the room. She wished she had clothes to put in the dresser. Walking into the room, she could see the closet sized bathroom containing a shower, a toilet, and a sink. Her first thought upon seeing the tiny sink was that she had mixing bowls bigger than that at home. Home. A place she could never go again. Once again, her life had been turned upside down by events surrounding a man. Teru and Kira had become recurring, absolute nightmares in her life. What had she been thinking by allowing Teru back into her heart and life?

"Adila, I know the circumstances are not ideal to say the least, but I'm glad to see you again. And I'm glad you're away from that asshole," Uncle Anthony told her, giving her a gentle embrace. "I'll talk to Halle about allowing you to borrow some of her clothes."

"Thank you," she stated in a low voice, hugging him back tightly when he did not let her go. She was so thankful for the forgiveness and unconditional love of her family.

"I'll give you some time alone. We can talk tomorrow, okay?" He kissed her forehead and left the room.

Adila lay down on the bed, amazed by how comfortable it was despite looking so rigid and utilitarian. Closing her eyes, she allowed the flood of thoughts to come so she could begin to work through them. She had no idea how long she had been laying there when the door to her room slid open with a whoosh. Jerking to a sitting position, she was relieved to see Shuichi had arrived and interrupted before she could indulge in a good old-fashioned pity party. She stood up, holding out her arms to him like a child in need of a comforting hug.

"Lala," he uttered her nickname that only he used. Drawing her into his arms, he buried his face against her neck.

"Ichi, I – " Her words were cut off by his kiss.

"I shouldn't have brought you here. I'm sorry. I never imagined…" He allowed his words to trail off before her captured her lips again. "I never thought you would be forced to stay. I'll come back to see you as soon as possible. I just want you to be safe. I love you, Lala."

Adila smiled against his lips as he kissed her. She wanted to love him and believed she already did. Although recently with Teru acting like a complete psychotic fiend, she had come to the disturbing realization that she did not know what real love was. Shuichi knew; he had to since he still loved her after her folly with L then repeating the same mistake twice with Teru. However, he had been pretty asinine himself by snubbing her to marry the woman he would eventually divorce. Despite all of that she trusted him, putting her heart and her life in his hands seemed to be the best course of action for her at this time. She had faith in him that if she was worth risking his life and heart for, he was worth that risk in return.


	22. The god Loses and Everyone Else Wins!

Shuichi ran his hand down Adila's bare back smiling when she shivered and writhed beneath the delicate touch that tickled her skin. He had just made love to her, and it was time for him to leave. Over the last two months they had become lovers and friends again. When this was over, he planned to make her more. He leaned down to kiss her shoulder, smiling softly when she sighed with contentment.

Adila rolled over to look at the man she loved. Holding her arms out to him, she returned his easy smile when he pulled her to a sitting position so he could take her into his arms. For the first time in her life she had experienced what it was like to be loved; not owned or worshipped or used, but loved. Her lips sought his for a comforting kiss and yet another reminder of the strong feelings they held for each other. So far she had not returned the sentiment in words when he declared his love for her, but she knew she did, without a doubt, love him.

For the last two months, Adila had worked closely with Gevanni to follow Teru. Disappointingly, although not surprisingly, Teru had not shed a tear or been upset in the least when he learned of his long time girlfriend's death. Relief seemed to be the main emotion he experienced; probably because he would have no more distractions to divert him from his adoration and worship of Kira. She had become a stumbling block and a nuisance to him so with her out of the way he was free to devote more of his time and attention to his god which he did with a renewed vigor. It was frightening to her to watch from the outside just how obsessive and consuming his kind of love could be. No wonder her family had disliked the man the second time around; they had seen what she could not. Now that she had seen him as they did, it scared her and she understood her family's opinion of him.

Tomorrow would be the defining moment of this whole case. Near and Light had set up a face to face meeting at an old warehouse to bring this thing to an end. Needless to say, everyone was antsy and on edge for the meeting. The anxiety was on the level of people that were locked in the room with a ticking time bomb and watching the counter dwindling down. Near wanted to disarm it and Light wanted to blow everyone sky high; who would win in the end?

"Are you afraid?" Adila asked, kissing his cheek and holding onto him. She was not ready for him to leave her.

"Yes," Shuichi answered honestly, squeezing her gently. He needed to leave. He had taken a huge chance coming here with the big meeting looming in the not so distant future.

"I love you," she said, receiving a gaping stare from him in return. She felt offended that he was so shocked by her announcement. "Is it really that startling?"

"To hear it from you, yes," he rejoined, chuckling lightly.

"I wanted to say it. I needed you to know, in case…in case…" her words faltered and she was unable to finish the sentence.

"We'll be fine. I trust Near. He switched the notebook so we certainly won't die like that," he murmured, kissing her forehead.

'No, but there's so many other ways to die. A gun, a knife, being choked…' her mind reminded her. Closing her eyes, she forced the thoughts out of her head.

"How will we ever have a normal life after this?" she asked, looking into his warm brown eyes that were swimming with numerous emotions.

"I don't know. We'll find out together. Adila, will you – " He could not complete the question when her fingers pressed against his lips.

"Ask me when it's over," she said, holding his ardent gaze. "But the answer is yes."

~\0/~

* * *

Adila stood beside her Uncle Tony holding his hand as they waited for Light and his team to arrive. She could feel her whole body shaking so profoundly it felt as if she were experiencing an earthquake from the inside out. Her eyes flitted around the dim, dirty, expansive building. There were a million places to hide in here. What had Near been thinking? She wanted to kick him in his little keister because he was sitting there so calmly in his weird half crouch.

The kid had shown what a vindictive sense of humor he has by wearing an L mask to taunt Light even further. He wanted to remind the infamous Kira one more time about the man who almost brought him down before he revealed the one who would succeed in defeating him.

The huge rusty door groaned in objection as someone pushed against it to slide it along its ancient track to open it up. With each inch it opened, the hearts of the people in the room beat faster, some with anticipation, others with blatant terror.

Adila's heart was one of the latter. She bit her lip when Shuichi entered the room among the other officers. He stood next to Light while the others took their positions. Where was Teru? When would he show up? Knowing him, he would be skulking around on the fringes somewhere like a stalker. She dreaded his entrance the most. Her fingers tightened around her Uncle's hand, and he pulled her behind him protectively to shield her from Light's questioning perusal. She was able to completely disappear behind her Uncle as he became a human barricade to hide her. She wanted to see Shuichi, but she was more afraid of losing control of her emotions by seeing Light. Her fingers twisted into the material of her Uncle's suit jacket while she pressed her forehead against his wide strong back that was ramrod straight. She could feel the tension, but she could also feel the strength and tenacity which helped fortify her own steadfastness. Ignoring the strained banter between Near and Light, she listened for any signs of Teru. Within minutes there was a light rustling at the door like a rat skittering around and a large body definitely not that of a rat passed the crack in the door to cast a shadow across the floor.

"Near, he's here," Adila blurted, stepping from behind Anthony Rester.

All of the men in the room turned their attention to her. Adila briefly met the emotionless brown eyes of Light Yagami with her alarm filled golden green ones. Her body shuddered as his handsome face twisted into an expression of sinister glee. He thought he had them right where he wanted them.

"I know your disciple, Teru Mikami, is right outside that door. Go ahead. Give him the order and see what happens," Near provoked the man who was building to a villainous cackle.

"Mikami! Write their names down! Kill them all!" Light commanded him. "He knows who all of you are. He made a deal with the Shinigami to see what they see. He knows your real names. He knows your life spans which alas is about to be cut short. I win. I WIN!"

Adila stumbled backwards when her knees weakened. She found herself in the arms of Agent Gevanni who held her while keeping a gun trained on the still laughing psychotic maniac known as Kira. Near was saying something, but she could not hear what because her heart was pounding too loudly in her ears. Somehow that ominous chuckle of Teru's was able to make it through the noise deafening her to bounce around inside her skull like a phantom. She wanted to scream. Covering her ears, she dropped to her knees when the first shot rang out with ear-piercing volume, resounding through the empty building. She was not sure who fired their gun or why, but several more shots exploded in response causing her to lose control. She panicked and ran for the door where Mikami awaited her but in her terrified flight she had forgotten that fact.

"Adila, no!" Shuichi yelled at her, unable to grab her as she ran by.

Adila screamed when she ran right into Teru's open arms. She felt them come around her to trap her, making her shriek and basically go berserk in her rattled condition. She howled and kicked, pounding his chest with her fists.

"It's a miracle! You've come back to me!" he shouted, tightening his embrace until she had no choice but to stop moving because she could no longer breathe.

"I didn't come back to you. I hate you. I left you on purpose because I wanted to. I went to Near. He's been harboring me and taking care of me. Protecting me from you, you damn freak," she panted, struggling for air.

"Treacherous bitch!" he growled, grabbing her by the neck. He turned her around, pulling her back against his chest.

Adila choked and pulled at his fingers as they dug into her neck crushing her windpipe.

"God," Teru gasped in horror when he saw Light laying on the floor in a pool of blood.

"Why aren't they dead you bastard? I gave you one last, simple order and you could not carry it out! I'm disappointed in you," Light snarled at Mikami, glaring at him with unbridled rage. "You're worthless. You're nothing to me!"

"My god, I-I-" he stuttered, emotion preventing him saying anything else. His god had betrayed him as well. He was unable to contain the sob that erupted from his throat.

Adila probably would have vomited from both of their pathetic displays of emotion had he not been strangling her. She could feel his body heaving against hers as his tears started.

"It's your fault I failed my god," Teru muttered in her ear, squeezing harder. "It's all your fault!"

Adila was unable to scream from his fingers constricting her throat. Her lungs burned from the lack of air. Black spots flashed in her vision and things were growing fuzzy. So this was how it ends. He was going to kill her, and she would be his in the end after all. Fate was a real bitch and cruel as hell.

"Let her go!" Anthony Rester yelled, training his gun on Mikami while the others held their guns on Light.

Two psychos are in room so which should be killed first? It was like a horrible joke but the answer was clear. One would kill the crazy man about to choke the woman to death. Anthony tried to get a clear shot but was unable to because Mikami had ducked behind his niece using her as a safeguard while he slowly choked the life out of her. Damn. He was about to do something he would never forgive himself for and he knew his brother would not understand. If he did not do something, she would be dead anyway. Taking aim at her shoulder that was in line with Mikami's heart, he pulled the trigger.

Adila was unable to scream as the burning pain tore through her shoulder almost making her lose consciousness since she was close to it anyway. She felt herself falling but there was nothing she could do to stop from crumpling into a gasping, coughing heap on the floor.

Light took this as his opportunity to try to make an escape. Making a dash for the door, he was stopped immediately in his tracks when a single shot echoed through the air ominously. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide with disbelief, and his mouth dropping open.

Adila watched helplessly as the man staggered toward her, a small hole appearing in his forehead from the bullet through his brain that had been shot into the back of his skull. Her mouth opened in a silent scream when blood trickled from the hole and down his nose as he dropped to his knees in front of her. She was pulled out of the way roughly by her ankles before he fell forward on top of her. Her head was pulled into the chest of the man kneeling in front of her to block her from seeing the dead man. Unfortunately, she heard Light's head hit the cement with a revolting and soggy sounding smack. Looking up, she saw the face of the one man who had truly loved her all along.

"I've got you. I'll never let you go," Shuichi assured her, rocking her gently to comfort her.

"Is Teru…is he…" She hissed as the searing pain erupted within her shoulder like fire burning through her muscle tissue. She had already forgotten she had been shot but her body was quick to remind her.

"Yes, he's dead," her Uncle answered, kneeling on the other side of her. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I had to take the shot. I'm sorry."

"It was my fault really. You did what you had to do. I'm sorry I lost it there at the end. I tried to be brave. I wanted to be strong, but I –" The tears kept her from completing her sentence. She sobbed noisily and violently but was not sure why. Maybe it was just…everything. It was over. It was finally over.

~\..'../~

* * *

Epilogue

Adila was sitting on the back porch of her home that had been built on several acres of her parent's land. Closing her eyes to luxuriate in the warm breeze blowing across her face, she inhaled the pine scented air deeply. Home. What a wonderful place to be. She rubbed her six months pregnant belly, smiling when the baby kicked her. She was waiting for her husband to come home from work at the FBI Field Office in the city of San Antonio.

Shuichi had been excited about the prospect of starting a whole new life with her far from where hell on earth had broken loose. The FBI had been thrilled to hire him after his work on the Kira case and the shining endorsement given by her Uncle helped tremendously. It was a true fresh start for the both of them, far from the constant reminders of a painful past in Japan. The past had followed them to Texas at first. The memories had afflicted them in the form of nightmares despite being far removed from the location. Thankfully after a year, the bad dreams tapered off, coming less frequently with the passage of time. Now, they only occurred on a very rare and unwelcome occasion.

Two years had passed in all since the incident that ended the whole Kira tragedy. They had gotten married and Adila must have gotten pregnant on the honeymoon because six weeks after their extended vacation in Hawaii they discovered the good news that she was with child. They came to a common agreement that she would stay home to be a wife and mother. For once in her life, she was rather fond of that idea and did not mind taking a more traditional and old fashioned approach to their relationship.

Hearing his car coming up the driveway, Adila bounded down the steps of the porch to run through the grass in her bare feet to reach the front yard. She met Shuichi at the car, literally throwing herself at him to give him a kiss. The force of her happy greeting sent the poor man falling back against the car with a grunt while he held firmly to something in his hands. A yap and something warm and very wiggly between them caught her attention. Backing away, she saw that he was holding the cutest little brown, black, and white puppy in his hands. The little dog looked like a Beagle. A Beagle? Apparently he has no idea how much noise those things make or how awful their baying barks sound. She was about to order him to take it back where he got it from when he held the cute little thing out to her and it licked her face before latching it's sad brown eyes onto hers.

"Dammit," she muttered, taking the squirming, yipping bundle of fur from him. She scratched him behind his long brown ears and kissed his head. She was a goner and she knew it when she looked into the puppy's big brown eyes. Peering at her husband, she smiled because she had a weakness for brown eyes evidently.

"An early present for the baby. A kid had them in a box out in front of the grocery store and was giving them away. I couldn't resist," he explained with a shrug, grabbing the grocery bags out of the car.

"I suppose it's my fault as well because I asked you to stop by the grocery store?" she asked, holding the puppy like a baby in her arms.

"Of course," Shuichi returned with a boyish grin on his face. He knew she had a soft spot for that impish smile too.

Adila went to the linen closet to retrieve a blanket for her new furry friend while Shuichi went to the kitchen. She made a makeshift bed for their new resident in the corner by the stove where it stayed nice and warm. After getting him settled into his place, she went to the sink to wash her hands as her husband laid out all the food to prepare dinner.

"Adila, are you happy?" Shuichi questioned her.

"More so than I ever thought I could be," she answered, glancing at the puppy who was already asleep on the thick, fluffy blanket in the corner. She was about as content and comfortable with her new life as that little dog was with his.

"Me too," he said, stopping his preparations to turn to her. Drawing her into his arms, he gave her a kiss that made her want to dump everything off the counter so he could take her right there. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The End!


End file.
